Arsenal are understood to be considering offering youngster Zech Medley a place at the club, provided he impresses during his trial period.
Despite signing a scholarship deal with Chelsea in July, the teenager left the youth set up in west London and now according to Jeorge Bird’s Arsenal youth blog, he is on trial with the Gunners looking to make an impression.
It’s added in the report that the 16-year-old played the full 90 minutes of Arsenal’s Under-18s 1-1 draw with Fulham on Saturday, but his time in north London didn’t get off to a good start as he was guilty of giving away the penalty in the 85th minute which led to the equaliser.
Nevertheless, the Under-18s side sit top of the Premier League Academy Group South table currently, and will hope that the defensive reinforcement will continue to strengthen their squad.
Medley will likely be given time to impress his coaches as the report notes that Arsenal were in need of a new defender at that level, but time will tell as to whether or not the former Chelsea starlet can make the grade with the Gunners.
Arsene Wenger has consistently shown through his tenure at the club that he is more than willing to give young players a chance in the senior squad, provided that he deems them good enough to feature.
Alex Iwobi and Hector Bellerin are two of the stand-out individuals who have made the cut in the current squad, and there have been, and will continue to be, many others who follow a similar path.
Whether or not Medley follows suit will depend on his performances, but having impressed Chelsea enough to get a scholarship, he evidently has the talent at this stage of his career to get himself noticed.