Arsenal have been in pole position to sign Chelsea wonderkid Ryan McAidoo for several months but Manchester City have now reportedly agreed a deal to 'hijack' the move
Arsenal supporters will be seething as Manchester City have snatched Chelsea wonderkid Ryan McAidoo who was reportedly on the brink of signing for the north London club.
The Gunners were believed to be nearing the signing of 16-year-old McAidoo from Chelsea for several months now, and were considered the favourites to secure the young player's services. However, Fabrizio Romano has now reported that City have intercepted Arsenal's move for McAidoo - and he's now bound for the Etihad instead of the Emirates Stadium.
The report claims that City have struck a deal for the youngster to join their academy, outmanoeuvring several Premier League clubs after the player chose to sign for them. While first-team action for the youngster seems distant, the chance to nurture McAidoo as a player and capitalise on his potential in the future will be a significant loss to the Gunners.
McAidoo has only made four appearances for Chelsea in the U18 Premier League so far, also representing England at U17 level twice against Northern Ireland and Hungary in the European Championship qualifiers. However, his impressive ball control, speed, precise passing and shooting skills have not gone unnoticed by Pep Guardiola, who is keen to test McAidoo at the Etihad Campus.
This marks another victory for City over their Premier League rivals - they've outdone them in the title race for two consecutive seasons while Arsenal has had to settle for runner-up. The 2022/23 season saw Mikel Arteta's team miss the title by a mere five points, despite looking like potential champions towards the end.
A disappointing run of just three victories in their last nine matches allowed Guardiola's squad to catch up and surpass them, leaving Arsenal supporters wondering what might have been with better performances. The 2023/24 season was a much closer contest, with City and Arsenal battling it out until the final match of the season.
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Yet again, the Cityzens came out on top. Arsenal needed to defeat Everton to claim their first title in 20 years but they also required West Ham to triumph over their Manchester adversaries - and while the Gunners did their part, City ultimately defeated the Hammers 3-1 to clinch the Premier League title by a heart-breaking two points.
As if that wasn't painful enough, Arteta will be smarting once more as City have dealt another blow by snatching a player who seemed destined for Arsenal. It's not the first time that transfers involving City and Arsenal have gone awry. Arteta brought Gabriel Jesus to the Emirates in 2022 for a hefty £45million.
Despite being a sensation under Guardiola, netting 58 goals in 159 appearances for the club, he's found it tough to adjust to the Gunners' style of play. In his 53 outings in Arsenal colours, the forward has only managed to find the back of the net 15 times - four in the latest season and 11 in his debut campaign with the club - and is no longer a guaranteed starter. The same can be said for Euro 2024 star Oleksandr Zinchenko, who had a disappointing last season and was occasionally left out of the squad.
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