The name Endrick should be familiar to most football fans but few might yet to watch the young Brazilian play. There is no player more coveted on the planet in his age bracket and extending potentially into the late teens and even early 20s.
Arsenal are amongst a number of elite clubs to have sent scouts to watch the 16-year-old play in Brazil football.london understands. However, other clubs such as Barcelona and Chelsea have made much stronger advances toward the player’s representatives.
If the Gunners want not to lose out on the exciting teenager, sporting director Edu will need to move fast. Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has come out publicly to speak of his and the club’s desire to add Endrick to a growing cast of impressive young stars like Gavi, Pedri and Ansu Fati.
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He told ESPN: "He have been speaking with his father and also directly with the player. I explained the project we have in Barcelona.
"We want him, and he is a talent, capable of making a difference. He can score, he can dribble, he has a brutal ability to make the difference.
"He is a player from the present, who is already playing in the Brazilian league, and also from the future. It’s the type of player we need.
"He already knows the project we have at Barcelona, and we are talking. We hope he becomes our player. It depends on him. It always depends on the player.
"Usually, a player will end up playing where he wants to play. So, it’s a very personal decision by Endrick."
In terms of projects, Arsenal does look to be an exciting one, especially for that of a young player. Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Folarin Balogun and Gabriel Martinelli are all players who have been given chances before their 20th birthdays.
Yet Barcelona, as mentioned, have their own contingent of teenage sensations. Mikel Arteta has talked of accepting only the highest quality into the club and perhaps the Gunners do not yet see the pathway to offer Endrick at this time.
However, if there are these ambitions to become a conquering team again, getting into the bracket of clubs to try and convince the best young talents to choose north London will have to be part of that rise. Yet it might have to be those that follow Endrick rather than the man himself.
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