Arsenal’s deadline day activity was dominated by the news about the Gunners signing Thomas Partey. The Ghanaian is a massive signing for Mikel Arteta’s side and the excitement around the club is understandable.
However, Partey wasn’t the only player they brought in. Arsenal agreed a deal with Swedish side Malmo to sign teenage striker Nikolaj Moller. The 18-year-old will initially join the academy, but there is a lot of optimism over the quality of the youngster.
Moller, 6ft 4in tall, is a giant. The youngster has been compared by many to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, mainly due to their shared nationality, but his former coach feels that he is more like a certain Arsenal legend.
Robin Asterhed worked with Moller for two years at Malmo before joining Copenhagen. He spoke with 101 Great Goals about the striker who Arsenal fans could see with the senior squad pretty quickly if he lives up to the expectations.
Moller is similar to Kanu
Asterhed said: “I would say Nikolaj would fit really good into a 3-4-3 system as a classical number 9. He can also play as one of two strikers in a 4-4-2 system. He can play as the target man and as the one who runs in behind. Comparing to former Arsenal players, I would say maybe Kanu is the closest one.”
“On the pitch, Niko is a really technical player. He can flick in behind, he can combine and he has a really good one touch, he also has the dribbling abilities but more and more the last year he has been less and less dribbling. He is a huge player. 194cm, 90kg and for this size, he is really mobile.”
If Asterhed’s words are anything to go by, Moller could go on to become a star at Arsenal. The striker, still only 18, has to showcase his skills with the academy sides first, but the path from there to the first team isn’t as far away as it used to be.
The Gunners signed Gabriel Martinelli last year and the Brazilian was initially set to join the academy. However, his performances in training forced Unai Emery to bring him straight to the first team, and he was brilliant last season.
Mikel Arteta has also proved that he isn’t afraid to use the youngsters in big games. Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah have all been used regularly by the Arsenal boss, and if Moller catches his eye, he could make the jump too.
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