Arsenal have decided against signing the son of legendary Gunners forward Dennis Bergkamp after the free agent spent a week training at London Colney, according to Goal.
When reports emerged suggesting that Mitchel Bergkamp was under consideration by the Premier League giants, you would have been forgiven for assuming he was a teen sensation making waves back home in Holland.
Imagine the surprise, then, when it emerged that Bergkamp Jr was 22.
The versatile midfielder was let go by second-tier Almere City in June and any hopes he had of following in his father’s footsteps at Arsenal have now gone up in smoke.
Goal reports that Bergkamp will not be offered a contract after all, with his week-long trial seemingly not going to plan.
Interestingly, the report adds that the free agent was never being considered for a first-team role under Mikel Arteta.
Instead, he was likely to be a short-term addition to Steve Bould’s U23 squad. Arsenal’s reserves have been left rather bare after a host of youngsters were sent out on loan during the summer window.
That perhaps explains why the Gunners gave serious consideration to signing an unattached 22-year-old at such short notice.
While Bergkamp did not get the result he wanted, Arsenal did offer a contract to another youngster earlier in the year.
20-year-old George Lewis signed a deal until 2022, arriving after being let go by a club in the third tier of Norwegian football.
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