Arsenal Insider can reveal that Arsenal scout Romain Poirot has been sent to Morocco to keep tabs on the under-17s Africa Cup of Nations to look over the next big talent the Gunners could land.
It comes as the north London club look to continue finding value through landing youngsters who could make an impact in the future.
Mikel Arteta has already made good use of the Hale End academy this season, bringing in youth options such as Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly into the Arsenal side.
The Gunners will be keen to keep that up, with Max Dowman another youngster who has been tipped for a bright future.
There is also work being done in landing young signings elsewhere, with Arsenal looking at young signings for the future to bolster the team.
With the under-17s Africa Cup of Nations offering a chance to watch a hotbed of talent in action who could one day play for the side.
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Romain Poirot sent to scout under-17s Africa Cup of Nations for Arsenal with Asharaf Loukman Tapsoba of interest
Arsenal Insider can exclusively reveal that Arsenal have sent scout Romain Poirot to Morocco to watch over the under-17s Africa Cup of Nations tournament taking place this month.
The competition is at the semi-final stage, with Burkina Faso taking on Mali and hosts Morocco facing off with the Ivory Coast.
One player who is being kept a close eye on is Asharaf Loukman Tapsoba, the Burkina Faso striker who is catching the eye.
The youngster, who recently just turned 15, is the competition’s current top scorer with seven goals in four games – including a brace from the penalty spot in the quarter-final.
Tapsoba would not be able to make a move for another three years if any club does look to make a switch for the starlet.
He is one of just a few players that Arsenal are looking at in the tournament, with several future stars featuring.
Mikel Arteta called upon Arsenal to use academy ranks and youngsters
If there’s one area that Arsenal have become well known for, it’s their use of academy youngsters this season.
With that in mind, Mikel Arteta made a request to keep making use of the facilities and to bring through the stars of the future.
He said in January: “The first thing that we want is to look in the Academy, can we get what we want in the academy, that’s option number one.
“If we don’t have it there then we have to look elsewhere, or we have to develop our players to different positions and make them more versatile, we have to go in the market and recruit.”
As a result, Arsenal are looking into the market at those who could help bolster the team for the future.
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