Arsenal sign highly-rated German midfielder from Barcelona

Arsenal have snapped up exciting Germany youth international midfielder Georgios Spanoudakis from Barcelona, according to reports in the Metro.

The 15 year old came through Barca’s famed La Masia academy having joined from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2009 and has since garnered a reputation as one of the gems of La Masia thanks to his special passing ability.

Spanoudakis is a central midfielder who is known for his passing ability and has drawn comparisons with former Gunner Cesc Fabregas. He has represented Germany at both Under-15 and Under-16 level, although there is talk he may switch allegiance to his native Greece, with belief that the Greek FA have already spoken about his future.

He’s the sixth youth player to make the switch to Arsenal from Barcelona, with Cesc Fabregas, Fran Merida, Jon Toral, Hector Bellerin and Julio Pleguezuelo all former Barcelona players having made the move to the Londoners

The youngster will hope to follow in the footsteps of Fabregas, who was the most famous of the La Masia graduates to be enticed to the Gunners. Wenger offered the Spaniard the chance of first team football from a young age and he soon developed into a leader of the team.

Spanoudakis is expected to link-up with the Arsenal Under-18 side this coming season, which will be managed by new arrival Frans de Kat. The next two years will be crucial to see if he can earn himself a lengthy professional deal.