According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are keeping close tabs on Scunthorpe United prodigy Joey Dawson, with a view to bag a potential move in the near future.
Joe Dawson, who is the nephew of former Tottenham defender Michael Dawson and the son of ex-Hull City star Andy, has burst on to the scene at Glanford Park in the League Two this term.
The 16-year-old midfielder made his senior bow for the Iron in their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Derby County in the EFL Cup back in August, coming on as a substitute for the last 16 minutes. In doing so, the teenager became the youngest professional player to play for the club.
Dawson is yet to be handed his league debut by manager Paul Hurst but he continues to be highly-rated in the club’s youth ranks, with many regarding him as a player with the potential to push on and make a name for himself at the highest level.
Not much is known about the starlet, given that he has only just made his senior breakthrough and is still very much in the formative years of his career at the age of 16.
That he is already rubbing shoulders with the big boys at this age is indicative of a level of maturity that belies his tender years and the Gunners’ interest in his services doesn’t really come as a big surprise.
If the last twelve months are anything to go by, Arsenal have made it a priority to bolster their squad with the acquisition of top-quality developing players in the transfer market, whilst also promoting several promising academy prospects to the senior ranks since the arrival of Unai Emery last summer.
As evident from the regular involvement of up and coming prospects like Reiss Nelson, Bukayo Saka, Chris Willock and Gabriel Martinelli, Emery has indicated that he is not hesitant to rely on youngsters if they are really capable of doing a job and that is something that the fans should be looking forward to in the future.
Apart from that, the Gunners have already started a contract renewal drive to secure the futures of some of their breakout stars in the Premier League this term. Joe Willock recently put pen to paper on fresh and improved terms and Saka is also expected to join the group in the coming months. (h/t Metro)
To that end, it is pretty clear that Arsenal are looking forward to building a strong platform for years to come and someone like Joey Dawson, who is showing a lot of potential in the Football League, could be yet another excellent addition to the existing pool of burgeoning young talents in North London.
Dawson, of course, would be expected to initially link up with Arsenal’s U-18s if a move does materialize in the near future and then it will be up to him to progress through to the U-23 level in the Premier League 2 before staking a claim for a potential senior call-up.
Alternatively, Arsenal might also choose to loan him back to his former club after completing a deal to allow him to further his development with regular minutes. Either way, the Gunners need to make sure that the 16-year-old gets enough regular minutes to hone his skills and work on the rough edges in his game.
All in all, Joey Dawson apparently has a big future ahead of him and Arsenal snapping him up for a thrifty amount could go on to pay rich dividends in the years to follow.
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