Arsenal defender Reuell Walters is now attracting interest from other Premier League clubs as the Gunners attempt to agree a new contract.
We have seen mixed fates for Arsenal’s top youngsters since the emergence of Bukayo Saka.
There were high hopes for Folarin Balogun, but Arsenal cashed in by selling him to Monaco over the summer.
Charlie Patino had similar hype but finds himself out on loan at Championship side Swansea City this season.
It turns out that making the jump from Arsenal’s development ranks to first-team star is tricky – and certainly more difficult than Saka has made it seem.
Arsenal talent Reuell Walters eyed by Premier League clubs
The London Evening Standard now report that Arsenal talent Reuell Walters is attracting interest.
The 18-year-old is in Arsenal’s Champions League squad for this evening’s clash with PSV Eindhoven and could make his first-team debut.
Walters – who can play as a centre back or right back – is a highly rated talent and it’s claimed that Arsenal are holding contract talks in an attempt to keep him.
Walters is out of contract at the end of the season and the Gunners don’t want to see him walk away.
Arsenal face a battle though as it’s stated that Premier League and European clubs are now interested in signing Walters.
No specific clubs are named but interest is mounting as Walters heads towards the end of his contract.
Arsenal must now convince Walters that he will have a route to first-team football at the Emirates Stadium, or he may well take his talents elsewhere.
Who is Arsenal teenager Walters?
Walters was actually in the youth ranks of bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur as a kid.
It all turned a little ugly for Walters though as he decided he was unhappy and wanted to quit Tottenham at the age of 14, as reported by The Athletic.
Tottenham refused to let Walters leave without hefty compensation and that kiboshed a potential move to Manchester United.
Walters ended up spending around 18 months out of academy football due to this stand-off before Arsenal snapped him up in 2020.
A boyhood Arsenal fan who found his way over from Tottenham, Walters has caught the eye of first-team defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, who called him ‘aggressive’ having shown his physicality in training against Gabriel Jesus.
This evening could be a big one for Walters as a first-team debut looms, and the Gunners will hope for positive news about his contract soon.
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