EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal monitoring Red Bull Salzburg wonderkid

Steve Kay

• Updated: 6 Feb 2024 16:58 GMT
• 3 min read

Exclusive

Arsenal are expressing significant interest in the 19-year-old wonderkid Oscar Gloukh from Red Bull Salzburg, FootballTransfers has been told.

The midfielder, who currently plays for the Austrian Bundesliga league leaders, has caught the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Barcelona, who came close to signing Gloukh in 2022 when he left Maccabi Tel Aviv for €7 million.

It is now anticipated that Salzburg would demand three times that amount for Gloukh, following an excellent start to the season where he contributed to six goals and six assists in 26 appearances, including two goals in the Champions League.

Gloukh made his senior debut for Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in an August 2021 Toto Cup tie against Hapoel Jerusalem. At just 17 years old, he became one of the youngest players in the club's history. However, he had to wait until April 2022 to make his league debut, where he netted his first senior goal in a 1-1 draw with Maccabi Haifa.

We are told that Arsenal scouts are actively searching for a young future star who plays in the Gunners' style to alleviate some of the pressure on the management staff at the Emirates, especially if they were to lose Martin Odegaard for an extended period in the future.

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According to sources, Fabio Vieira and Hale End product Emile Smith Rowe could potentially be moving on at the end of the season. This would leave the competition in that area of the pitch quite thin, especially if they were to lose the Arsenal captain.

After catching the eye of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, the Premier League title challengers will likely continue to monitor Gloukh's progress in the coming weeks and months.

Similar to Odegaard, Gloukh is capable of playing in the No.10 position and roaming around the half-spaces, utilizing his technical ability and vision to pick out line-breaking passes. His composure allows him to stay level-headed and make great decisions in the attacking phase.