Arsenal have won the race to sign Portuguese midfielder Domingos Quina according to reports from England today.
The 16-year-old has been tracked by several top clubs and has even been on Chelsea’s books.
Quina joined Chelsea at the age of 13 from Benfica, but has not chosen to commit to the club. Although he cannot sign a professional deal until he turns 17, Arsenal believe they have won the race to secure the future of the teenager.
We don’t know much at all about Quina, but considering the caliber of club interested in his services, this can be considered a coup. The Telegraph say he plays at number 10 (shock horror) and has recently impressed in games for the Portugal under 17’s.
Quina allegedly quit Chelsea because of lack of progression to the first team. Considering he is only 16, Arsenal must rate him extremely highly to (presumably) give him assurances that he will get first team chances. Perhaps the introduction of Alex Iwobi in the Barcelona and Everton games helped show Quina that Wenger looks at quality ahead of age, leaving the likes of Theo Walcott on the bench.
Quina would be the latest signing for Arsenal’s youth ranks, whom have been strengthened considerably over the course of the last 18 months. The Gunners are now loaning out players more than ever, with the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles impressing at Championship side Ipswich Town.