Signed and Done: Arsenal complete the signing of 19 yr old star on a two year deal – Player expected to be with the squad soon
Arsenal journalist for The Evening Standard Simon Collings says that the club have triggered a two-year extension of youngster Marcelo Flores’ contract.
THE LOWDOWN: FLORES PROFILED
Flores is currently on loan at Spanish side Real Oviedo, where he has managed to make a total of 15 appearances in all competitions so far this season, producing one assist (Transfermarkt).
He is yet to make a senior appearance for Arsenal, but the 19-year-old has played 44 times for the club at youth level, netting 15 goals and supplying a further six assists (Transfermarkt).
The attacking midfielder is also a full Mexico international, having earned three senior caps for his country already despite his youth, and so certainly has a bright future ahead of him.
THE LATEST: CONTRACT EXTENSION TRIGGERED
Taking to Twitter, Collings says that the Gunners have triggered a two-year option in Flores’ contract to keep him at the Emirates Stadium until 2025, as it was due to expire this summer:
“Arsenal have triggered two-year option in Marcelo Flores’ contract. Deal was due to expire in 2023, but now runs until 2025. 19-year-old is already full Mexico international and highly thought of.”
THE VERDICT: RIGHT DECISION
Even though Flores has not played a senior game for the North Londoners yet, the fact that he has featured prominently at youth level and been sent out on loan to play senior football suggests that they think that he has a future at the club.
He is a player that has been likened to former Gunners star Santi Cazorla by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who also lists his many strengths as “pace, passing, vision, dribbling, creativity, technique, agility, work rate.”
Former Mexico manager Tata Martino has also sung the praises of Flores, describing him as “everything a coach expects”:
“Marcelo is everything a coach expects, that the player has those desires to assert his dribbling, he does what we all expect of him, he executes the ‘one on one’, which is one of the best qualities and the penalty is anecdotal.
“Marcelo is something different, he needs peace of mind and hopefully we can give it to him.
Nonetheless, Flores is clearly thought of very highly not just at Arsenal, but in his home country as well, and so the Gunners will no doubt want to keep hold of him and help continue his development, where he may eventually make his first-team debut under the watchful eyes of Mikel Arteta.
