Transfer Rumour: Arsenal, Tottenham locked in transfer battle for Ben Wilmot

Arsenal and Tottenham are reportedly locked in a transfer battle in pursuit of highly-rated Stevenage youngster Ben Wilmot.

According to The Sun, Arsenal and Tottenham are both chasing the signature of Stevenage starlet Ben Wilmot. The highly-rated youngster is on the radar of both the London outfits, who are looking to bring the player over to the Premier League in the summer transfer window.

Ben Wilmot has set League Two alight with his matured presence at the back for Stevenage, uncharacteristic for a player who is just 18 years of age. The centre-back has been a rock in defence in the 5 League Two starts he has been afforded, garnering 8 appearances in total so far this season.

Suffice to say, this impressive start to his senior career at Stevenage has seen him attract the big clubs, with Arsenal and Tottenham interested in the player. Tottenham, along with Liverpool, have been linked with the young prospect earlier as well.

In fact, Spurs have a healthy relationship with Stevenage, having loaned Luke Amos to the League Two outfit. Tottenham have become one of the premier homes for enterprising young talents and 18-year-old Ben Wilmot could be the next one to build his career under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino.

Arsenal on the other hand, was a club known for bringing through young talents. But, of late, there has been little to show in terms of academy graduates becoming a full-time first-team member, with the likes of Serge Gnabry and Chris Willock leaving in search of game time.

Both Arsenal and Tottenham have seen their respective bids of around the £1 million mark being swiftly rejected by Stevenage and with the duo set to return with a better offer, it will be interesting to see as to how much the League Two outfit are able to get for their 18-year-old defender.

Earlier reports stated that as many as 30 scouts had attended a Stevenage game in order to monitor the player’s performance and report back to their respective clubs, with Liverpool also being named as a suitor then.

Stevenage manager Darren Sarll also highlighted his maturity and composure, which is almost unheard of in the performance of an 18-year-old.

“He plays like a 30-year-old, he’s got a wonderful, mature outlook on the game,” Sarll exclaimed!

Wilmot might just take up the opportunity of a jump up the ladder to either Arsenal or Tottenham, wherein he will have access to state-of-the-art facilities along with a faster track to playing in the Premier League. While Stevenage will be gutted to lose the prospect, they also will look to use the windfall to invest in other areas come summer.