Arsenal scout Danny Karbassiyoon has spoken about the moment he realised Gedion Zelalem – currently on loan at Rangers, was good enough to play for the north London side.
The Gunners’ scout was a professional for the club himself but injuries cut his career short, leaving him in a position to become a scout – and having identified both Joel Campbell and Zelalem himself, has proven himself a fairly useful asset for Arsene Wenger’s side.
While the Costa Rican winger took his time to become a member of the first-team, Zelalem is still finding his feet in competitive football, on loan at the Scottish Championship side.
Speaking to the Independent, Karbassiyoon admitted that when he first identified the 19-year-old, he noticed the technical ability the youngster possessed.
I saw Gedion in a training session, and he was very different from what I am accustomed to seeing, from a typical player in the US.
Technically he was very, very gifted, he rarely looks like he’s under pressure and always has a way out. I hadn’t seen that in players in the US, his intelligence and awareness were on another level.
Initially, Gedion was training with the under-16s and he did really well, so he was put in with the under-18s, and continued to do well.
Two days before the end of the trial, he was thrown in with the reserves, and continued to impress. When a kid comes on trial you want him to make a difference, not just do enough to be part of the group. And he was influencing sessions with senior players.
Zelalem has been tipped for a big future at the club and could be the reason that Wenger opts against investing in a big name central midfielder, having signed just Mohamed Elneny while holding faith in his academy.
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