Austria drew 1-1 with Georgia this evening, with Arsenal and Spurs both watching on.
Austria’s Louis Schaub (C) celebrates scoring an equaliser against Georgia
The transfer window may be closed, but scouting missions don’t end, with LAOLA1 in Austria reporting that both Arsenal and Tottenham sent scouts to watch Austria take on Georgia this evening.
Austria may have stormed through qualifying to Euro 2016, but their World Cup qualifying campaign has been flat, and they needed to beat Georgia to push Wales and the Republic of Ireland in Group D.
However, they were dealt an early blow when Valeriane Gvilia gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the first ten minutes, immediately putting Austria on the back foot in a game they had to win.
Austrian fans
Austria did hit back when Louis Schaub equalised, but the game finished 1-1 – and that means that Austria’s World Cup hopes are all but over, as they sit five points off the play-off spot with just two games to go.
The matchup at the Ernst Happel Stadium didn’t grab many headlines heading into kick off, but it seems to have attracted interest from Arsenal and Tottenham scouts, who are looking for talent ahead of the January transfer window.
LAOLA1 in Austria report that the North London rivals – along with Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hannover, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg – were in all in attendance in Vienna to watch potential transfer targets, just days after the summer transfer window slammed shut.
Georgia’s midfielder Valeriane Gvilia (L) celebrates scoring against Austria
Given the status of the two teams, it’s hard to see where Arsenal or Spurs could find a target from tonight’s game. Austria’s teenage defender Kevin Danso fits the bill, having flashed enough talent with Augsburg to become a starter for his country, whilst Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Julian Baumgartlinger offers a more experienced, proven option.
The likes of Guram Kashia and Valeri Qaziashvili are stars of the Georgia side, but whether they are good enough for Arsenal or Spurs is another matter, leaving fans to wonder just who they could have been watching on their surprise trip tonight.
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