Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted that the club are following the progress of Monaco youngster Kylian Mbappe, a player he has compared to Gunners icon Thierry Henry.
The 18-year-old has impressed this season with six goals in 19 games, and has been an important part of the club’s success in general.
While some may argue that it’s far too early to draw any comparisons with a legend like Henry, Wenger is certainly impressed with him and is seemingly keen on taking him to the Emirates in the near future.
“He is not exactly Thierry Henry but it is true that he has similar qualities and the future and talent is similar,” Wenger told the Ligue 1 show, as quoted by Sky Sports.
“The potential is similar, after that if he has the same level of motivation, desire and intelligence that Thierry has, and the next two to three years will tell us that, then he can be very promising.
“We follow him, we know him very well, and he is developing well. He extended his contract with Monaco last season and so it’s Monaco who are going to decide his future. He could be another Thierry Henry.”
The French tactician spoke about Mbappe in his press conference on Friday too, revealing that he had tried to sign the talented youngster last summer but he opted to stay with Monaco and sign a new deal.
In turn, it remains to be seen where the starlet’s future lies as while it seems as though Wenger is an admirer, he has essentially gone public with his praise for a potential target and alerted his rivals to the talent that Mbappe possesses which in turn could lead to another club snatching him from under their noses.
Arsenal will hope that isn’t the case and will continue to monitor the teenager with a view of making their move if he shows the characteristics to suggest that he is more than just a talent.
Wenger said he was interested in signing Monaco's Mbappe last season, "but he decided to stay where he was."
— Mattias Karén (@MattiasKaren) February 3, 2017