19-year-old American wonderkid, Gedion Zelalem, who is currently on the books at Arsenal, is reportedly on the radar of Borussia Dortmund.
ESPN are claiming that, as per their sources, Arsenal wonderkid Gedion Zelalem is attracting interest from Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund. The 19-year-old has found chances hard to come by at Arsenal, despite being highly regarded by the coaches at the club and could now be on his way back to the Bundesliga with Dortmund interested in the midfielder.
Gedion Zelalem is a 19-year-old Berlin-born midfield prospect who received his early footballing education at Hertha Berlin before moving to Walter John in the United States and ultimately joining Arsenal in January in 2013 on a free transfer. The player has been hailed as a future superstar and is highly regarded as one of the brightest aces in Arsenal’s current setup.
Zelalem is eligible to play for both Germany and the United States. The 19-year-old represented Germany at various age levels but has since decided to switch to the United States, and is now reportedly on the brink of a senior call-up, having notched up 5 appearances for the Under-23 national side.
Zelalem spent the last season out on loan to Scottish giants Rangers and helped them achieve promotion back to the top tier of the Scottish football. The player was a regular in the Rangers side and impressed with his consistent and impressive displays in the middle of the park.
The 19-year-old is yet to make his senior debut for Arsenal in the Premier League but has made his senior debut, in general, having played 4 times for Arsenal, 2 of which have come this season in the EFL Cup. The player has already made his UEFA Champions League debut for the Gunners, though.
Zelalem is a part of the Under-23 squad at Arsenal and has made 7 appearances for them in the Under-23 Premier League, notching up 1 assist in the process. The player, though, has found chances hard to come by since returning from the Rangers loan and is unlikely to be satisfied with 2 EFL Cup appearances under his belt.
And, with the 19-year-old entering the last six months of his Arsenal contract, with his current deal set to expire at the end of this season, the player could be set to move in search of first-team football, especially with Borussia Dortmund circling around the player.
Dortmund are fully aware of Zelalem’s talents having seen him closely during his time in Germany and offer him the proposition of gaining regular first team football action combined with the prospect of teaming up with fellow compatriot, Christian Pulisic, who is another exciting youngster who has carved out a place for himself in the first-team setup at the Signal Iduna Park under Thomas Tuchel.
Dortmund have a very youthful side and could lure Zelalem over with the promise of first-team action, something which he is yet to get much taste of at the Emirates. Serge Gnabry has already impressed in the Bundesliga since leaving Arsenal and Zelalem could just be the next youngster to leave the setup in favour of a move to Germany.
