Arsenal are preparing a bid for S.S Lazio striker Ettore Mendicino after the 18-year-old attacker impressed the Gunners Italian based scout Tony Banfield with his performances for the Rome Club’s B team.
Sources close to the players representatives leaked news of the interest to a Lazio fan site last week, with the website suggesting it’s only a matter of time before Mendicino seals a switch to London. Several positive reports have already been gathered by a handful of scouts working with Banfield, and now a firm contract offer is expected to be put to the player before the end of the year.
The proposed deal would be extremely lucrative to both Ettore and his family, but it would also offer the chance for the youngster to link up with fellow countryman Vito Mannone at Arsenal.
Mendicino is recognised as one of a promising generation of talents at Lazio, and would have to be prepared to give up any further representation for the national team at youth level to seal a switch to the Gunners. Known for having a excellent turn of pace combined with an unselfish nature, he bagged 9 goals in 32 fixtures for the Reserves last year, leading to calls up for the Italian Under 16 team.
He featured in 6 games, scoring once in a draw against Ukraine – with officials already believed to have been on his trial. Mendicino featured a lot for the first team over pre-season, and notched a double in an 8-0 romp over Nuova Tor Tre Teste. Further appearances came against Liverpool and PAOK.
Several young talents have left the World Cup winning country to head to England in the last few years, with Arturo Lupoli and the aforementioned Mannone coming to London, and Giuseppe Rossi among 2-3 players who have gone to Manchester United.
Article By – J.Sanderson – With Thanks To Rashid.
his goal ratio doesn’t make him sound anything special. Have u seen this kid play n is he worth us getting?
I haven’t heard about him. But a young Italian defender will always be a mouth watering prospect.
also, petrucci goes to m.u.
Seems like he has played once for the first team (against Porto, friendly).
Yommie//
Good then that he is a striekr…
You forgot to mention that he was recently given the #90 from Lazio
emm Yommie – hes a striker not a defender
Yep, but number it’s probably just a European number, although he is listed in their first team, but with little info on his profile.
He is supposed to be a target man type of striker.
I bought an Italian kid called Mendicino on FM who turned out be freaking awesome. Not sure how that helps, as it was a different player…..
We have Adebayor, Eduardo, van Persie, Bendtner, Walcott and a ton of promising young strikers. Do we really need another? Sure, if he’s the next Baggio but is he?
Lol Samuel. He plays for Everton on mine. Don’t think he’s the next Baggio, but an Italian Striker doesn’t sound bad… Zola anyone? ;)
Catalan sports paper Sport claims that several English Premier League clubs are interested in Barcelona Cadete A wing attacker Gerard Deulofeu (14).
Scouts of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have been following the performances of Deulofeu during an international youth tournament in the Netherlands earlier this year and this has lead to contacts with the entourage of the Catalan player.
Although several agencies have already offered their services to his parents, Deulofeu, who joined Barcelona from Espanyol a few years ago, is at this moment not yet represented by a professional agent.
here is a short video jamie u heard anything ??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uldX4Qp_IFQ
Gerard Deulofeu se queda en el Barça
Los aficionados al FC Barcelona pueden estar tranquilos, Gerard Deulofeu ha confirmado a esta web que no se va a ningún equipo inglés.
El joven extremo del FCBarcelona en declaraciones para Airfutbol.com ha confirmado que no se mueve del club. Gerard, jugador del Cadete A, ha dicho que él no sabe nada sobre el interés de equipos ingleses y que se ha enterado por los periódicos.
Gerard Deulofeu es una de las promesas más firmes de la cantera blaugrana. Deulofeu es un mediapunta o segundo punta que destaca por su excepcional regate. Es diestro pero cada día mejora en sus condiciones técnicas con la pierna zurda, por lo que teniendo en cuenta su edad, podríamos estar ante un futbolista ambidiestro en un futuro no muy lejano.
from airfutbol.com and it says that he doesn’t know anything about the interest from the English clubs and that he doesn’t want to move from Barcelona
woohooo top of the table
Taking into account his goal ratio and the fact that we have Barazite, Walcott and Vela in his age group as well as players like Fonte, Simpson and Afobe, this would seem unnecessary.
I think we’re sorted in the striking department for a good few years, but we don’t really have many great defenders coming through.
Yeah, what’s so good about him?
We have some good young defenders–Kyle Bartley, Nortveit, Gibbs, Traore, Pedro…but are our young left backs any good? Our youth team seems good enough on paper to do really well even in the Championship, except I don’t hear much about Ogogo or whatever his name is. Are our young right backs any good?
Agree with fabregas dad. We already have adebayor v.persie eduardo bendtner vela walcott in first team and barazite fonte simpson freeman sunu murphy afobe coming through so surely we don’t need him
he looks like a downy tbh
anyone know where is showing the arsenal carling cup game on tues?!
TV. lol
Anyone know where we can watch it online?
We need someone for our youth team like Rafael da Silva.
Fabregas’ #2 //
We allready have many who are a lot better than him.
Traore had an awful day. One of the worst players on the pitch, and 0-6 defeat.
LOL @ Fabregas’ #2 first comment.
It isn’t being broadcasted on English TV but I’m sure there will be some streams avaliable on the night.
No, Rafael da Silva’s Man Yoo’s best right back in my opinion. I watched him several times during July/August.
he clearly isnt there best right back otherwise he would be strating every game
He’s a ton better than Gary Neville at least. I think he’s better than Wes Brown; he’s like a little Daniel Alves.
Which of the youngsters are likely to be selected in the squad on tuesday cause with so many players either injured or out on loan surlely it has opened up a few spaces
The team i hope that plays on tuesday is this
fabianski
sagna bartley djorou gibbs
wilshere randall/song ramsey merida/walcott
bendtner vela
subs:manonne lansbury, murphy, coqelin, fonte, song, walcott
sounds a good team but are theo and sagna likely to play
Maybe he can become a good technical player, like Bergkamp in the past.:)
Fabregas’ #2, you can’t exactly judge how good a player is based on pre-season games (do you think Wilshere would do well if he came up against Real Madrid now?) although his bombing up and down the right flank was reminiscent of Alves.
I’d expect something like this:
Fabianski
–Djourou–Hoyte–Gibbs
Wilshere–Randall–Ramsey–Merida
Bendtner–Vela
Right back seems a bit of a problem, I doubt Walcott will start because he’s an established player for us although he could be on the bench just to help him keep his form going. The same goes for Bendtner although I don’t really see Fonte or Simpson as outstanding candidates to play with Vela. We have to be careful with playing too many reserves players, we don’t wanna get knocked out at an early stage in the competition but at the same time we don’t really have any young players without plenty of Premier League experience in the first team (apart from Wilshere, Ramsey and Gibbs).
Oops, I forgot to put in a right back, Lansbury’s played there before but Rodgers, Bartley or Ogogo could all play there.
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Dnt get the point of signing this guy. We have too many strikers as it is, Van Persie, Adebayor, Eduardo, Bendtner, Vela, Wallcott (although hes just as good on the wing as we all know), Barazite, Simpson (if he stays). Not to mention some of the younger academy players who with-in two seasons will potentially be in the same position as Simpson and Barazite like Fonte, Sunu, Murphy, Freeman and possibly even Afobe seeing as hes so prolific.
Dnt need a striker, and if we get 1, it should be because they’re an awesome prospect who we’d be stupid to turn down like a Messi or Ronaldo type kid. Seeing as this guy is 18 and ive neva heard of him (not that im saying im the worlds best authority on up and coming wonderkids but i know a fair few) I doubt he is, not that im sayign he isnt good, but if hes not incredible thats not good enough.
Unless he is a great talent why bring him to Arsenal because he will only get in the way of the likes Rhys Murphyb and Benik Afobe’s way
does arsenal have italian based scouts??
i find that arsenal dont bring in enough italian youngsters….i can only remember us brining in lupoli and mannone..
im sure there’s sum young gems out there somewhere, especially in the defensive positions
Lerkils IF Cadete A wing attacker Viktor Falk(14) Scouts of several clubs , and have been following the performances of Viktor Falk during an international youth tournament in the Sweden earlier this year and this has lead to contacts with the entourage of the Swedish player.