Patrick Vieira impressed by 18 y/o Arsenal target who’s ‘the talent’ in World Cup side | OneFootball

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira feels an 18-year-old Gunners target is “the talent” in his nation’s side at the World Cup, and has a lot of maturity for his age.

The Gunners have some big names on their shortlist for this summer. Established Premier League stars such as Morgan Rogers are joined by the less well-known currently, but exploding on the world stage, Ayyoub Bouaddi.

The 18-year-old midfielder has played the full 90 minutes in both of Morocco’s World Cup games so far, and has taken the breath away from some footballing legends.

Amid Arsenal‘s interest in him, Bouaddi has gained the support of Gunners legend Vieira, who’s enamoured by his performances.

He told The Rest Is Football: “Really impressive, he’s only 18 but he plays like a 30-year-old.

“He’s got the tactical awareness, I think he’s always well positioned. He’s got the technical ability to play out from the back and a really strong personality.

“I quite like the midfield three from Morocco but, of course, he’s the talent in this team.”

Bouaddi is playing with some far older and more experienced players, but is taking a lot of plaudits, having put 92 per cent of his passes on target against Scotland, as well as making 16 carries, an interception, a clearance and four recoveries, per SofaScore.

Bouaddi top target for Arsenal

At only 18, Bouaddi is impressing massively, and the Lille midfielder will reportedly command an £80million fee if he’s to leave the French side this summer.

A report has suggested the teenager is very high on the Gunners’ list for the summer.

A source is quoted as telling Caught Offside: “Arsenal have been pursuing the Bouaddi deal strongly. No agreement on personal terms yet, but [Andrea] Berta and his team are feeling positive. I’d expect Bouaddi to be the top target, but work has also been done on Manu Kone, Sandro Tonali, and others.”

Whether the Gunners land the midfielder might therefore depend on how much they are willing to do the deal.

Indeed, Kone would likely be cheaper, while Tonali has a lot more top-level experience, and yet there is a lot of interest in Bouaddi.

Should Arsenal make a genuine push for him, it will show how much he’s rated compared to other top midfielders.