An Arsenal youngster who Mikel Arteta sold for a nominal fee last summer just scored a hat-trick for his new club in a 5-2 win last night.
Arsenal have let plenty of youngsters leave the club in recent years, with Charlie Patino perhaps set to be the next in the summer.
Lino Sousa, an inverted full-back that many were excited about, left for Aston Villa in January, and it’s now reported that Patino’s future belongs elsewhere too.
If there’s one concern about Arsenal under Mikel Arteta right now, it’s the lack of chances that have been given to young players.
Given the sharp upwards trajectory the club have enjoyed of late, thanks to Arteta’s excellent work, that’s understandable for now, but fans will perhaps want that to change with time.
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are two exceptional talents, and will surely come into first-team thinking within the next 12 months or so.
That being said, it was the end of the road for Marcelo Flores who left Arsenal in the summer, having joined the academy all the way back in 2019.
Marcelo Flores scores hat-trick for Tigres after being sold by Arsenal in the summer
The Mexico youth international joined Tigres for £2m last September, a move that surprised a few in north London given Flores’ perceived potential.
Flores was considered to be an ‘excellent’ talent, one destined for Arteta’s first-team.
However, it was ultimately deemed that there wouldn’t be a first team path for the attacking midfielder, who is now making excellent progress elsewhere.
And having now played 26 games for Tigres, Flores has scored seven goals, adding three to his tally in a single game last night.
The midfielder appears to have started in an attacking left-wing back role, and scored a hat-trick in the space of 10 minutes in the second half.
Tigres beat Club Necaxa 5-2 in the league, with Flores deservedly taking home the match ball.
Of course, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Arsenal made a mistake selling the youngster, it seems Flores was ready to be sold and try something different.
And instead, it should just be a glowing recognition of progress that the 20-year-old made with the club.
All that being said, it seems as if Arsenal could sign a new an ‘extraordinary’ new striker for a cut-price this summer.