Arsenal target starlets Spear, Christofi, ; Rui Fonte set for Sporting loan?

There are various rumours flying about the place, as is always the case on Sunday mornings, but the majority of the Arsenal-related transfer stories are focussed on Wenger’s continuing youth policy - the oldest possible signing for Arsenal I found in the papers today was 19 years old!

Firstly, the News of the World (so don’t hold your breath) have two news stories that concern the Gunners, and both are related to the Gunners’ academy, with one possibly coming in, and another going out on loan next season. Firstly, having completed a move for Ramsey on Friday, Arsenal are reportedly one of two clubs to have been given permission to talk to very highly rated Plymouth kid Aaron Spear. Plymouth Chief Executive Michael Dunford has been quoted as stating:

“Newcastle and one other Premier League club have expressed an interest in Aaron Spear. He has been given permission to speak to them. We would like to keep him, but the lad appears adamant that he wants to talk to the Premier League clubs.We are waiting to hear from Newcastle whether they have decided to sign him.”

These quotes seem to be from a while ago, and so the prospective deals have moved on since then. Spear is only 15 years old and so Plymouth have had little choice but to let him speak to the Premiership clubs interested in him, with Newcastle agreeing terms with Plymouth this week. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal or Pompey are the second club battling for Spear however, with both being given credit for an interest in him in recent weeks.

A more likely story is the next one that NOTW has produced is the story that Rui Fonte, Arsenal’s Portuguese reserve player, is set for a move to Sporting Lisbon for next season. He was signed two years ago and has impressed me far more this season than his debut season, and a move out on loan could be what he needs, although how much time he’ll get on loan I’m not sure.

Next up is The People’s Arsenal story, with the news that we and Manchester United will fight it out for a Cypriot striker who goes by the name of Demetris Christofi. Despite being only 19, he was given a transfer worth £800,000 from ENP FC to Omonoia, the record transfer for that domestic league. But now he has attracted interest from Premier League giants Omonoia will struggle to hold onto him if a decent bid goes in for him, and of the reported fee of £3m , ENP FC will get 15%.

Last season he scored 9 goals in 27 games for ENP FC, and so it seems strange that such big clubs would be interested in a striker nearing 20 years old and hardly prolific in a poor standard of league, but there you go. Even by The People’s standards its a very strange story, and one I doubt we will see any more of this summer. But you can never tell with Wenger I suppose.