Arsenal are set to snatch 13-year-old Nigerian prodigy Lateef Omidiji Jr., who has also been tailed by the likes of Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid and more.
According to an exclusive report by AllNigeriaSoccer.com, Arsenal are primed to sign 13-year-old Nigerian prodigy Lateef Omidiji Jr. The American-born wonderkid has been tailed by the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Ajax and PSG. But, the Gunners have taken a major step towards securing the player’s future.
As per the report, the Gunners are in pole position to bring the player over to the Emirates Staadium on a permanent basis when he attains the requisite age that qualifies him to sign a pro deal. Till then, an agreement is in place that will see Omidiji Jr. travel to North London every summer to be a part of the youth setup at Arsenal and train at the club.
#Arsenal a bouclé l’arrivée du jeune attaquant US de 13ans du #SpartaRotterdam, Lateef #Omidiji Jr pic.twitter.com/h4xCEFHYtb
— Team Mercato (@TeamMercato) February 8, 2017
Lateef is currently going through his paces at one of the most highly-rated academies in Dutch Football, at Sparta Rotterdam, which has produced gems like Memphis Depay, Georiginio Wijnaldum and Jetro Williams in the recent past.
The fact that he was born in the United States makes the player eligible to represent the North American giants while also being eligible to represent his country of origin, Nigeria. The player has been called up by the United States to be a part of their Under-14 squad and it will be interesting to see which way he intends to go in the future.
Nigeria Prodigy Lateef Omidiji Jr Earns Call Up To United States Under-14 https://t.co/aRkmaYNOSk pic.twitter.com/EeByfXVT7m
— YAW Wazobiafm (@yawazobiafm) November 10, 2016
Arsenal already have Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Nwakali among their ranks. While Iwobi is a full-fledged senior player, for both Arsenal and Nigeria, Nwakali is very highly-rated within Arsenal and back in his homeland, having been the captain of his country’s Under-20 side for the qualifiers of the Under-20 iteration of the African Cup of Nations.
This really is the golden generation for Nigeria. The African country boasts of potential future superstars like Kelechi Iheanacho, Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi and Isaac Success already plying their trade in the Premier League with many youngsters primed to soon be a part of the first-team setup of Premier League teams.
Watch Omidiji Jr. score a beauty in the Dallas Cup, one of the most watched videos involving the 13-year-old prodigy.
And Lateef Omidiji Jr. could really be another one of the gems that Nigeria has produced in the recent times. The player holds great promise at the moment but it is his development and growth that will hold the key to his footballing career that lies ahead of him.
There is a lot of hype around the pacy striker and it will be interesting to see where he ends up and how his footballing journey pans out.
