Arsenal: Joel Lopez just more playing probability game

Arsenal have reportedly signed Barcelona youngster Joel Lopez on a professional contract. If so, his addition is just more playing the probability game.

It’s fair to say that everyone is a little frustrated with Arsenal and their lack of transfer movement at this point in time. While they have made one official signing, which is more than Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs, it is a free-agent, 34-year-old right-back whose contract had expired at Juventus. Hardly heart-fluttering.

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And the Gunners have reportedly been on the doorstep of more signings, most notably Sokratis Papastathopolous that has seemingly been set to be announced for the best part of three weeks.

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However, while the club’s work at the senior level may not be progressing as we ever-impatient fans would like, at youth level, there are reports that Ivan Gazidis et al. are making moves to bring in some of the best young talent on the continent. First, it was 17-year-old Yacine Adli of Paris Saint-Germain, who has obviously been touted by Unai Emery, the former PSG manager and successor to Arsene Wenger. And now there is another, 15-year-old Joel Lopez of Barcelona.

Dario Sport claim that Lopez is set to sign a professional contract with the north London outfit, despite Barcelona doing all that they could to keep him at the Nou Camp, showing that the young defender was clearly highly thought of. And like Emery with Adli, it should be no surprise that Raul Sanllehi, former Sporting Director of Barcelona and now Head of Relations at the Emirates, had his hand on the deal.

Now, I know absolutely nothing about Lopez. Obviously. He is a 15-year-old Barcelona academy player. How would I know anything about him other than what a basic Google search can tell you? But what Arsenal are doing, all under the guidance of Sven Mislintat and Gazidis, is very clever.

The development of young players is an extremely turbulent and unpredictable process. There are some who shine early and dim when the senior game arrives; there are the late-bloomers who flourish after many had already written them off. From a club’s perspective, it is a game of probability. Sign as many as possible and see what works and what doesn’t. It’s a cheap, low-risk-high-reward strategy.

Had you heard of Cesc Fabregas or Hector Bellerin before they made the north London move? Me neither. And that is what Arsenal are doing here with Lopez. They are merely giving themselves another roll of the dice, one that they believe may be with a weighted die in their favour. And why not? It makes sense.

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So let’s not hype Lopez up more than he deserves. Let’s not undersell him either. Lopez is simply another shot in the dark, another roll of the dice, another punt, another clump of mud to throw at the wall, and that is no bad thing.