Arsenal reportedly want Barcelona whiz kid Sergi Samper
Arsenal is interested in purchasing Barcelona youngster Sergi Samper, according to Spanish sports publication Mundo Deportivo.  The report suggests that the Barcelona B defensive midfielder has an £8.5 million release clause and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is more than willing to … Continue reading →

Arsenal is interested in purchasing Barcelona youngster Sergi Samper, according to Spanish sports publication Mundo Deportivo.  The report suggests that the Barcelona B defensive midfielder has an £8.5 million release clause and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is more than willing to meet the hefty price tag for the 20-year-old.

Wenger has found success bringing in players from the Barcelona academy in past years, as the Frenchman previously bought Cesc Fabregas, Hector Bellerin, and Jon Toral from the Catalan club.  Bellerin, who just signed a new long-term contract with the Gunners last week, is still good friends with Samper and could very well help convince the 20-year-old to join the north London club.

In fact, two seasons ago, Bellerin stated that Samper was the best player that he has ever played with:

Nevertheless, any move for Samper by Arsenal, or any other team (Porto is also reportedly interested in the player as well), will come down to whether or not Samper wishes to leave his boyhood club or not.  Surely Samper is keen on playing time, but with Sergio Busquets firmly in place as Barça’s starting defensive midfielder, the 20-year-old may have to wait it out if he chooses to play for the Spanish giants.

The Mundo Deportivo report claims that Barcelona ideally want to send Samper out on loan to a “big” club, but they do not want to lose the phenom permanently.  With Porto being managed by ex-Barcelona player, Julen Lopetegui, the Portuguese club may have an upper hand in any deal for Samper.

This is also the third occasion in which Wenger has asked Barça about Samper.  The Frenchman attempted unsuccessfully to secure the Spaniard in 2011, when he signed Bellerin and Toral, and then again last summer as he tried to persuade the Catalan club to sell Samper before the start of the 2014-15 campaign.

While £8.5 million is certainly a substantial sum for a player that has yet to make a single La Liga appearance, the 20-year-old is widely considered one of the top talents in the Barça B team.  Xavi, who played over 500 matches for Barça, recently said of Samper, “I believe he is a player that will succeed at Barça.  With his abilities, he is a spectacular talent.  With the way he sees the game, his positioning, how he positions his body when he passes.  I like Sergi Samper and I like to watch him.”

The 5’11”, 157 pound Samper is an accurate distributor of the ball (both short and long passes), a solid tackler, and is extremely composed on the ball.  If the 20-year-old defensive midfielder was to encounter a pack of wolves in an alley, he would somehow come out unscathed with the ball still at his feet.

With Mathieu Flamini reportedly on his way to Turkey and Mikel Arteta at the ripe age of 33, Arsenal would do well to get a young defensive midfielder with the talent of Samper.  However, a deal for the Barça youngster will most likely be tricky for Wenger and the Gunners.