Arsenal: Marcelo Allende Spotting Shows Wenger Still Has It

Arsenal was on a wonderkid shopping spree not all that long ago, but it has since quieted. That is, until Marcelo Allende was spotted in training alongside Alexis Sanchez.

Arsene Wenger’s wonderkid shopping spree spanning across last season and the one before was incredibly fun to watch. The Arsenal academy had run a bit dry of homemade products and Le Prof decided enough was enough. He went at it fast and furious and landed some incredibly promising young players.

The list grew up to near ten, but the highlights of the bunch were Donyell Malen, who is not that far from making his first team debut, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, who we are all excited for, and Krystian Bielik, the future of this defense.

All three give us so much to watch for. Even beyond those three there is so much talent.

But then it went quiet. As if Wenger looked upon what he had created and said “it is good.” Kelechi Nwakali sprung up out of the woodworks, and that was another guy we should all be monitoring.

Now, we have another potential young Gunner to keep an eye on. Chilean wonderkid Marcelo Allende was spotted in Arsenal training alongside his countryman Alexis Sanchez and everyone else that you would traditionally see in the first team.

Allende had already come on trial once with the Gunners, making this his second time making an appearance with the club.

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Touted as the next Alexis Sanchez (be careful there…) Allende is a workaholic just like this comparison would require him to be. He is just 17 years old, has already started to make an impact at the youth international level and appears to be the next installment of Wenger’s great project – to build a self-sustaining team.

Allende would have a bit of pressure on his shoulders given the likeness, but one glimpse of him playing will reassure you that this kid does indeed have something special.

His composure on the ball is fantastic. He was also the captain of the Chilean U-17 side at the U-17 World Cup, where he lead his team to the round of 16, scoring twice and finishing the tournament as his side’s top goal scorer.

All things considered, Allende looks to be another kid who is just a matter of time.

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I’m always impressed by Wenger’s undying dedication to the academy. Even when it seems like his time is running up, he is still on the lookout for anyone that can help out the club that he so adores.