Who is Ilias Akhomach? The Barcelona wonderkid wanted by Arsenal

Stuart Telford

• 11 May 2023 11:54 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal are tracking Barcelona youngster Ilias Akhomach, but what else is there to know about the Spanish youth internatonal winger?

Akhomach was handed his senior Barca debut in November 2021, starting a 1-0 win over local rivals Espanyol at the tender age of 17, but has been largely restricted to the Barcelona Atletic reserve team since.

Now 19, he is out of contract at the end of the season, and Arsenal are reportedly ready to pounce for a player they see as an ideal back-up to Bukayo Saka.

READ: Arsenal 'bet heavily' on Barcelona prodigy

What position does Akhomach play in?

Akhomach is a right winger, hence Arsenal identifying him as an ideal understudy to their former academy star Saka, but he has also played on the opposite flank and right up front coming up through the ranks at Barca.

How good is Akhomach?

Xavi certainly though Akohmach was promising enough to put him in for this first game as manager - that 1-0 win over Espanyol - but with Ferran Torres and Raphinha since joining Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati among his wide attacking options, he hasn’t been able to build on that.

Akhomach remains a talented player, though. He won the North African U15 Championship with Morocco in 2018, and is since capped up to under-19 level with Spain.

READ: Guardiola confident Messi will rejoin Barcelona this summer

Primarily a left-footed right-winger, Akhomach is expert at dribbling his way out of trouble, and if Mikel Arteta can help add some accuracy to an already-powerful shot, he could have a serious attacking outlet on his hands.

What clubs are interested in Akhomach?

Leeds were understood to be at the front of the queue to sign Akhomach but the move fell through with director of football Victor Orta leaving the club, allowing Arsenal to swoop in.

AC Milan and Sevilla have also been credited with an interest in the youngster, but the Gunners are now favourites to sign him.

When does Akhomach's contract expire?

Akhomach's contract at Camp Nou expires on 30 June 2023.

How old is Akhomach?

Born on 16 April 2004, Akhomach is 19 years old at the time of writing.

He shares a birthdate with former Arsenal winger Freddie Ljungberg.

What is Akhomach's Instagram?

Akhomach's Instagram can be found under the handle @iliasakhomach. He has 284k followers as of May 2023.