JJ Gabriel should join Arsenal simply because of £30m player

Arsenal are reportedly one of a number of clubs circling for JJ Gabriel.

The 15-year-old wants to leave Manchester United as soon as next month when he will turn 16. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City are also interested.

The teenager could face a lot of scrutiny from the media for this move alone, but add to that the hype around this ‘Kid Messi’ and that kind of pressure has derailed many talented prospects before. He will need guidance and good people around him, someone who has been exactly where he is.

Arsenal actually have a player who has been there themselves, and he happens to be the captain.

Martin Odegaard would be the perfect mentor for JJ Gabriel

Martin Odegaard was similarly dubbed the ‘next Messi’ when he broke through at senior level for Norwegian side Stromgodset aged 15. He became the youngest player to ever play for the Norway national team shortly after, and then of course signed for Real Madrid.

At Los Blancos, he was fast-tracked to the first team before he was ready, and then spent years on loan at clubs across Europe trying to find himself. It had looked as though he was never going to live up to the hype, but it took time, patience and the right environment (and coach) to eventually unlock the player he could be.

Of course, that environment was Arsenal, and that player would go on to captain the Premier League winners. It’s an amazing story.

Odegaard is arguably the best player in the Premier League right now. He leads the division for chances created in open play and has four goals across all competitions. But crucially for someone like Gabriel, he knows exactly what it’s like to be a teenage prodigy with so much hype around you and with the whole world watching.

Arsenal are showing with Max Dowman that they know how to develop extraordinary young talent without putting too much pressure on them and breaking them. Having Odegaard as a mentor surely helps that too.

Gabriel has his pick of clubs. The world’s his oyster. But he should strongly consider Arsenal simply for the opportunity to be an understudy to Martin Odegaard.