Arsenal missed out on a deal for Mateusz Musialowski because of academy upheaval, allowing Liverpool to swoop in, The Athletic say.
The Gunners spotted Musialowski early having seen him in action in Bristol during a visit from Poland. They were in pole position to sign him at the time.
However, academy manager Andries Jonker then left the club as Per Mertesacker took over, and the disarray at Arsenal meant a deal for Musialowski never materialised.
Liverpool were then able to swoop in and hijack the Gunners, offering Musialowski a one-week trial in 2020 – years after Arsenal had first looked to sign him.
Musialowski impressed and, given that he didn’t know whether Arsenal would return with a new move, he decided to join Liverpool, where he is now being called ‘the Polish Messi’.
The 17-year-old winger has allegedly been impressing Jurgen Klopp in first-team training, and it looks like the sky is the limit for Musialowski, leaving Arsenal to think about what could have been.
Musialowski has hit five goals and two assists in Under-18 Premier League action this season, whilst he also scored twice in just one FA Youth Cup game.
A step up to the Liverpool first team looks inevitable for Musialowski right now, and Arsenal will be fearing they have missed out on a huge star due to nothing but organisational chaos.
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