Middlesbrough hope to hold onto the rising star for seasons to come but will have to fend off interest from Chelsea, Arsenal and other Premier League sides.
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Arsenal are now set to engage in a transfer race against Premier League rivals Chelsea after being beaten to a late Deadline Day coup by Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite being 13 places and 24 points ahead of Spurs in the top flight table, it was Thomas Frank’s side that won the battle to sign highly rated Hearts talent James Wilson at the close of the transfer market. While the 18-year-old was never going to be an investment for the immediate future by either Spurs or Arsenal, it could come as a blow to the Gunners should the teenager go on to achieve big things.
Speaking about the transfer on Sky Sports as it was confirmed, former Premier League striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said: “I’d go to the club that is going to give me the most minutes, who tells me the right plan, what they are going to do with me and how they are going to get me better.
“They can’t tell you exactly, but if he goes to Arsenal and they say he’s going to be for the future and go on loan... but Spurs say he will be part of the first team and get minutes here and there, be really part of it, then the decision is very easily made for me.”
Arsenal and Chelsea plot Middlesbrough swoop
Arsenal may look to keep those words in mind as they prepare to do battle with Chelsea to sign Middlesbrough forward Cruz Ibeh. TEAMtalk reports of interest from both top flight sides in the 17-year-old.
Ibeh is widely thought to be one of the most exciting prospects that Boro have produced from the academy with Liverpool and Manchester City also ‘monitoring developments closely’. Middlesbrough have already seen midfield twins Anton and Bailey Palmer signed by Brighton last year with goalkeeper Isaac Collinson poached by Chelsea before that.
It’s a really strong time for the Championship side’s academy and Ibeh could be the next to be scouted. The forward signed his first professional contract in November which Middlesbrough are hoping gives them some power in any potential negotiations.
The player made his senior debut last month, coming off the bench in the FA Cup third round defeat to Fulham. Since then, he bagged a hat-trick for the under-21 side in a 6-1 romp over Ipswich Town.
Hellberg - Cruz Ibeh is ‘very talented boy’
The report claims that Middlesbrough hope to keep Ibeh at the Riverside Stadium for upcoming seasons with the promise of frequent first team game time something that Arsenal or Chelsea would likely not be able to offer for a number of years.
Speaking after Ibeh’s debut, Boro manager Kim Hellberg said: “He's a very talented boy. He has been training with us. He has a lot of quality. He's young so we wanted to get him this taste, playing against Premier League centre-backs and to learn from it. He must grow from it. Go back and use it as energy to train even harder, train even better.
“I think those 10 minutes will give him a lot of experience. And because of us being short in that position for the moment with the injuries, that was a good chance to give him some minutes, to invest in his future, and then he has to grow from it.
“That will be the key thing for him. It was a good chance to give an opportunity to a young player from our own academy and he'll now train even harder to get more chances. He’s a good player and has a good possibility to be a good player for Boro.”
In other news, Raheem Sterling could link up with 'fantastic' ex-Chelsea teammate amid 'talks' with new club.