Exclusive: Arsenal & Chelsea scouts keeping close tabs on Brazilian winger ahead of potential transfer



Arsenal and Chelsea scouts have been closely monitoring Sao Paulo wonderkid William Gomes ahead of a potential transfer, CaughtOffside understands.

The 18-year-old can play as a winger or attacking midfielder and has really impressed in recent times, with Sao Paulo anticipating that he’s someone who could be snapped up by a top European club in the near future.

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Arsenal and Chelsea are showing the strongest interest for the moment, with scouts from both London clubs keeping tabs on Gomes and giving positive feedback on what they’ve seen so far.

Gomes is already showing signs of being ready to make the step up to playing at a more competitive level, and he looks like he could be a good fit for the style of play at either the Emirates Stadium or Stamford Bridge.

William Gomes celebrates a goal for Sao Paulo (Photo by Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images)

Managers Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca both play a brand of football that’s highly influenced by Pep Guardiola, having both worked under the Manchester City boss, and so one imagines Gomes would surely be tempted to continue his development under either one of them.

Where next for Brazil’s next wonderkid William Gomes?

Gomes could have a tricky choice if it’s between Arsenal and Chelsea for his next move, with both clubs having their strengths.

For now, Arsenal look to be ahead of Chelsea in their project, and more likely to compete for the biggest trophies in the near future, even if they’re yet to get over the line and actually pick up some silverware.


 

Chelsea, meanwhile, might be the better opportunity for Gomes in terms of playing time, with the Blues showing their commitment to trusting and developing young players as part of their long-term project.

Arsenal also have a history of promoting youngsters, but for now it might prove a little trickier for them to guarantee Gomes the kind of playing time he’ll want, so it will be interesting to see how the player decides if it comes to a choice between these two.