Arsenal are reportedly ready to bid for Hoffenheim’s teenage forward Philipp Ochs, after Gunners scouts were impressed by the 19-year-old’s performances for Germany at the UEFA U19 European Championship.
Arsenal’s need for a proven goalscorer apparently won’t stop manager Arsene Wenger from continuing to indulge his philosophy of building through youth.
The Gunners chief is reportedly contemplating bidding for Hoffenheim attacker Philipp Ochs, according to German publication Bild (via James Cambridge of the Daily Express). The reports stated Arsenal scouts have been “impressed by the winger and are considering a bid.”
Ochs netted a hat-trick for Germany against Portugal in UEFA’s U19 European Championship, with representatives from Arsenal looking on. He’s now the joint second-leading scorer at the tournament, and has also produced the second most shots on target with seven, according to UEFA.com.
Bild carried quotes from Och’s agent Arthur Beck, indicating how his client is already attracting widespread interest: “Philipp has attracted attention with his strong performances – not only from the European Championships.”
Yet, as Bild also noted, Hoffenheim are in no rush to sell, per club manager Julian Nagelsmann: “We will not give him away… we do not want to sell Philipp.”
The idea of adding another unproven prospect to an inconsistent attack is unlikely to appease Arsenal fans desperate to see Wenger recruit experienced and established talents to play along the forward line.
Wenger has already taken one punt on potential this summer when he signed Japanese forward Takuma Asano from J-League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima, a player the manager dubbed “very much one for the future,” per the club’s official site.
However, the need for new talent up front is more pressing for a club that found goals hard to come by at times in the Premier League last season. Center-forward Olivier Giroud is inconsistent, while Joel Campbell and Theo Walcott have struggled to convince on the wings.
In fairness to Wenger, though, the Arsenal boss is often at his best when shunning veteran players in favor of those he can develop. His history of turning young wingers into prolific strikers makes any bid for a prospect like Ochs particularly intriguing.
Wenger once helped convert Thierry Henry from mercurial wide player into lethal central striker. He repeated the trick with the temperamental Robin van Persie, years later.
Ochs already boasts the kind of versatility and key strengths Wenger covets in his attackers. Among his strengths, Football Talent Scout listed “acceleration,” “finishing” and “flair.” The same source described Ochs as a “number ‘9’/shadow striker/inside forward, at his best when he can get a good diagonal through ball.”
Those qualities would soon find a home at Arsenal, where the team is built to thread creative passes between the lines.
Wenger still has a knack for turning potential into legitimate, match-winning talent, despite the criticism he’s faced in recent years. Right-back Hector Bellerin and versatile forward Alex Iwobi are the latest examples of Wenger’s youth philosophy successfully put into practice.
Signing Ochs wouldn’t answer Arsenal’s immediate issues. But it would reaffirm the manager’s fidelity to safeguarding the club’s future.
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