Arsenal have reportedly pipped Manchester City and Chelsea in their pursuit of a youngster who has been compared to Jude Bellingham.
Arsenal’s academy (Hale End) has produced several world-class footballers, such as Bukayo Saka, Ashley Cole and Andy Cole.
In recent times, the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have progressed through the ranks to make several appearances for Mikel Arteta’s side.
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But, the club are looking to bolster their pool of young talent further as they recently beat the likes of Manchester City, Spurs and Chelsea to sign Kyran Thompson.
Thompson, 15, has already been likened to England star Bellingham.
According to Mail, the club prised the player to sign for them by paying West Ham a fee of £1.1m as well as offering him a scholarship at St John’s Senior School – one of the country’s most expensive private schools with £17,500-per-year fees.
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The school based in Enfield, London has an impressive record, with 70% of its GCSE cohort achieving grades nine to seven.
Nwaneri, who scored a stunning goal in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Preston on Wednesday evening, is one of the many former pupils who has represented a professional football club.
Arsenal have been permitted to allow their players to take part in Full-Time Training Module (FTTM) programmes, which are thought to allow students more time away from campus.
Pupils attend three days a week at the school, then after lunch, they attend football training, and it is the school’s responsibility to allow them to catch up on anything missed in the curriculum due to their sporting commitments.
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The popularity of the school has now risen as parents and children have been made aware of the Champions League-standard pitches and old-fashioned discipline.
“Word got out that these boys are at Arsenal, they talk to their friends," explained headteacher Alexander Tardios.
“And then a lot more Arsenal boys started to apply, and then the Watford boys started to apply, and then the West Ham United boys started to apply, and then the Spurs boys started to apply.
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“Boys from Chelsea applied for the scholarship last week. Never had that happened before.”
It has even been suggested that parents choose Arsenal over Man City, with the education on offer playing a huge part in the decision.
Topics: Arsenal, Football, Jude Bellingham
Luke Davies