Transfer Rumour: Arsenal and West Ham interested in Wimbledon wonderkid Toby Sibbick

Arsenal and West Ham United are both showing interest in 17-year-old Wimbledon wonderkid Toby Sibbick

The Sun have reported that Arsenal and West Ham United are both interested in teenage Wimbledon wonderkid Toby Sibbick. The right-back has been turning heads with his performances for Wimbledon’s under-23 Development squad and is now on the radar of top Premier League clubs.

Toby Sibbick has come through the ranks at AFC Wimbledon and has recently been awarded with a professional contract at the club. Sibbick has truly come a long way since starting out his career playing for Feltham youth.

The 17-year-old is widely regarded as a hot prospect within the Wombles hierarchy, and is seen as a future first-teamer at Kingsmeadow. The player is set to feature for the side against Hull City in the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday night.

Sibbick’s style of play and displays, in general, have drawn comparisons to Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings, which would go a long way in adding credibility to his talent. The 17-year-old is primarily a right-back with the ability to play with equal vigour when deployed as a centre-back.

But Wimbledon academy manager Jeremy Sauer revealed while talking to Wimbledon’s official website on the even of Sibbick’s professional deal that the player is now focusing more on developing as a leader and formidable presence in the centre of the defence.

Sauer said, “At the moment Toby’s target in terms of his development focuses on him being more aggressive and being more of a leader as a centre-back. Toby can also play at right-back because he is so comfortable on the ball. As he can also get up and down the pitch brilliantly, it means he is going to get minutes there.”

“He is going to be focusing on a centre-back role in the long-term, but if an opportunity comes up at right-back in the first-team and he takes it you never know what could happen.”

Arsenal have, in recent times, looked at the lower leagues for bolstering their squad, with Rob Holding arriving in the summer transfer window from League One side Bolton Wanderers and the latest signing being Cohen Bramall, who arrives from Non-League outfit Hednesford Town.

West Ham United, on the other hand, are also tracking the player’s progress. The Hammers have their own share of young English talents in their squad in the form of Reece Oxford and Sam Byram and are looking to add to the list of prospects.

Premier League has seen the arrival of many lower league players who have taken to the highest tier of English football with aplomb. Dele Alli has become the poster boy of such players while Ademola Lookman, who arrived at Everton in a big money move, is also primed to slot straight into the first-team setup.

If Toby Sibbick continues to impress, as Sauer said, he will soon find himself plying his trade at Kingsmeadow and maybe the Emirates or the Olympic Stadium in the near future.