Arsenal are keen on a 17 year old French footballer currently making his way in Ligue. It sounds pretty routine but Alban Lafont is a goalkeeper, who made his debut for Toulouse at the age of just 16.
In the mould of Gianluigi Donnarumma, AC Milan’s baby goalkeeper, the youngster wasn’t out of place and has been allowed the chances to try and grow into the role.
He’s already amassed around 30 appearances for the club and French newspaper L’Equipe say he’s been repeatedly observed by Arsenal.
The player’s father Rolland Lafont has been speaking to L’Equipe about how he helps the goalkeeper try and track his progress and plot his improvement. Rolland has created an Excel spreadsheet on which he charts his son’s every match, along with notes and a way to distinguish clean sheets.
The youngster has moved out of Toulouse accommodation for young players and back in with his family, his father explained: “Alban is on the way to maturity, he is evolving at great speed, we wanted to accompany him in his approach to a year important to him… Alban is a boy who listens, is hardworking, mature. He is still a goalkeeper in training. His current success is that of an entire club.”
There’d be little point a big Premier League club snapping up the goalkeeper to be third or second choice, or just operate with the club’s youth set-up. He’s probably best left where he is now to continue development for a while longer… under the keen eyes of Arsenal.
