Arsene Wenger is under immense pressure to make a number of major signings over the summer after Arsenal missed out on a top-four finish for the first time under his reign. With a deal for Sead Kolasinac already done, expect a few more big names to make their way to the Emirates stadium. However, don't be surprised if Arsenal sign a few unknown young players.
Wenger has an eye for spotting special talents as he has done on so many occasions in the past. Now, he has found another prospect in 21-year old Russian midfielder Aleksandr Golovin. The CSKA Moscow midfielder is reportedly set to complete a £10 million move to Arsenal before being loaned back to CSKA to gain more experience.
Also read: Alexandre Lacazette price tag revealed: No-brainer for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal
Golovin might not be the kind of player the Arsenal fans were hoping for but Wenger would not have given the go-ahead to sign him if he did not see something in him. The Russian is highly rated in his homeland and by the Arsenal scouts. But who really is Aleksandr Golovin?
The CSKA Moscow midfielder progressed through the Metallurg-Kuzbass Academy and first caught the attention of a number of top clubs in Europe while training with the Russian Olympic reserve team. Despite interest from a number of top clubs, he decided to stay in Russia and joined CSKA Moscow in 2012.
Checkout some of Aleksandr Golovin's best skills, goals and assists for CSKA Moscow.
He took two years to break into the first team but he did enjoy success on the international stage as he won the 2013 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He also went on to represent Russia national under-19 football team at the 2015 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and finished second. He also scored on his debut for the Russian national team.
Since then he has gone on to make 12 appearances for the Russian national team and was also part of their squad for the Euro 2016.
He made his debut for CSKA Moscow in 2015. While he struggled to get regular playing time in his first two seasons with the first team, he made a big impact in the 2016/17 season. He made a total of 37 appearances scoring three goals and assisting four.
The Russian describes himself as a player who can play in any attacking position but prefers the playmaker role and cited Mesut Ozil as the player he looks up to. He has been described as a player who possesses excellent technique and ball control and part of the reason for that is because he grew up playing a lot of futsal in Russia.
