When Arsène Wenger and Arsenal gamble a decent sum of money on a young French-born player, the excitement the transfer generates is generally important, which was the case with Ismaël Bennacer in 2015.
Bought from Arles-Avignon in France for around £250k, the now 18-year-old central midfielder has started to make a name for himself in Arsenal’s reserves, appearing nine times so far this season, but it’s on the international scene that things are moving quickly.
Previously appearing for France’s youth teams (both the U18s and U19s), the Arsenal starlet made the decision to switch allegiance, making his first cap for Algeria in September, coming on for 6 minutes at the end of an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win over Lesotho.
Such a quick evolution both for club and country has caught the eye of a few clubs, according to Algerian newspaper Le Buteur, including a few in Ligue 1.
According to their website, Guingamp, Le Havre and Lorient are ‘very interested’ in the youngster’s services, while unnamed Championship clubs and a few Belgian sides are also keeping an eye on his progress.
Furthermore, Le Buteur explain that, following his international call-up, Bennacer would like to play first-team football rather than be in Arsenal’s reserves, meaning a loan deal could be on the cards for the 18-year-old.
Arsène Wenger is said to be open to the idea, as the number of midfielders currently in his first-team squad would limit Bennacer’s chances of making it in his plans, for this season, at least.
One to keep an eye on, that’s for sure.
