Arsenal lead Premier League rivals in transfer chase for 16-year-old EFL wonderkid

Callum Vurley
Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:53:02 +0000

Arsenal have set their sights on Leicester City wonderkid Jeremy Monga, with the Gunners hoping to beat Chelsea and other top clubs to land the 16-year-old winger.

The north London side have been tracking Monga for some time and are now pushing hard to secure his signature.

It's a proper battle brewing for one of English football's brightest young prospects.

Monga has been with Leicester since joining their academy at just nine years old, working his way through the ranks to become what the club considers the crown jewel of their youth setup.

The England youth international can operate on either flank or as a central playmaker, and he's already caught the eye with his blistering pace and trickery.

Monga made history when he stepped onto the pitch as a substitute during Leicester's 3-0 loss to Newcastle in April 2025, aged just 15 years and 271 days.

That appearance made him the second youngest player in Premier League history at the time, trailing only Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri.

He's since slipped to third on that list after the Gunners' Max Dowman broke through.

Interestingly, Monga and Dowman have represented England together at youth level, so they already know each other well.

This season, the teenager has earned nine starts across all competitions for Leicester and regularly features from the bench, including in each of the Foxes' last three fixtures.

Arsenal's recruitment team have been deliberately targeting top teenage talent from other clubs, partly driven by a sense that their own academy hasn't been producing enough standout players.

The Gunners have already snapped up teenage twins Edwin and Holger Quintero from Ecuador's Independiente del Valle this season, while 17-year-old Victor Ozhianvuna will arrive from Shamrock Rovers next year.

They've also brought in Kyran Thompson from West Ham, Mishel Nduka from Charlton, plus Northern Ireland youngster Ceadach O'Neill from Linfield and Scottish prospect Callan Hamill from St Johnstone.

Meanwhile, Leicester are bracing for major squad changes this summer regardless of whether they avoid Championship relegation, with plans to rebuild around their talented youth players.