Should Arsenal be looking to add another young striker to their ranks this summer?
While Stevan Jovetic is the calibre of forward Arsenal fans want to sign this summer, you can bet the club will keep their eyes peeled for the next star of the future too.
Just last year they had M’Baye Niang over on trial before he went to Milan, an illustration that the club are always on the lookout for the next big thing.
And there may just be an emerging talent who will probably have already caught the eye of their scouts, and if not it may not be long until he does.
Introducing young Anthony Martial, a bright young Frenchman with a quite superb goalscoring record at youth international level, who is one of his country’s brightest prospects.
And the similarities with Arsenal legend are there too, from his heritage to his path to Ligue One. Here are five facts about him:
1) Martial is 17-years-old and is contracted to Lyon, where he has already broken into their first team.
2) He has a phenomenal youth record at international level; nine goals in 17 for France’s under-16s, nine in 13 for their under-17s, and three in three for the under-18s.
3) Just like France legend Lilian Thuram and Thierry Henry himself, he has family ties to the island of Guadeloupe through his father.
4) He has already played in the Europa League, coming off the bench in December against Israeli side Hapoel Shmona.
5) Martial began his career with French non-league side Les Ulis, where Thierry Henry also started out.
Check him out scoring at youth level below…
The bad news is Manchester City and Newcastle United have already been linked with his signature, so if Arsenal are to sign him up, they might just have to act fast.
Is Martial a prospect Arsenal should move for? What do you think?
image: © julien haler
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