Arsenal are closing in on a series of deals as they look to build for the future, with two of their foreign academy stars likely to sign contracts in London soon.
Arsenal are set to sign Ecuadorian twins Edwin and Holger Quintero from Independiente del Valle this week. The Gunners are looking to the future with a focus on the academy as part of their recruitment strategy.
Arsenal have successfully developed outstanding talents such as Bukayo Saka, Miles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dauman, all of whom have gone on to impress in the first team. However, the club is already preparing for the next generation, with the management team doing everything possible to ensure a sustainable future through the Hale End Academy.
This includes scouting and signing potential talent from other clubs who can contribute to Arsenal’s long-term success. In line with this strategy, Arsenal acted quickly in the transfer market. According to ESPN, the club has agreed to sign the Quintero brothers.
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According to reports, both parties are in London this week to finalize the details of the agreement. Still only 16 years old, the duo won’t officially join Arsenal until 2027, when they turn 18 and become eligible for transfer.
This is another example of the club discovering and retaining promising young talent, even if the return is not immediate. Arsenal have invested heavily in South American talent over the years.
Gabriel Martinelli, signed from Brazilian club Ituano for just £6m, is perhaps the best example of this strategy working. The transfer fees for the Quintero twins have not yet been disclosed, but an announcement regarding their acquisition is expected to be made soon.
Independiente, the club the twins are signed to, also played a key role in the development of current Arsenal stars Piero Hincapie and Moises Caicedo before they moved to the Premier League. Arsenal’s recruitment team have been working hard to bring in such talent from an early stage and have already announced a preliminary agreement to sign Victor Ojanvuna.
The Shamrock Rovers star will join the Gunners in 2027, when he turns 18, after an impressive spell in Ireland. It comes at a time when opinions are divided over the success of Arsenal’s academy.
While the growth in talent in the first team is clear, the under-21 and under-18 teams had disappointing seasons. However, there is also hope that by signing the best talent of the future, Arsenal can strengthen their position in order to remain competitive.
Ultimately, the success of an academy will be measured by how well it develops talent that either strengthens the first team or generates funds for reinvestment.
This is the basis of Arsenal’s sustainability plan under the KSE, particularly as the huge transfer spending seen last summer is unlikely to be repeated unless player sales improve.
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