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Arsenal’s midfield future would be sorted for the next decade if they sign this 18-year-old French prodigy

Why Arsenal should sign Han-Noah Massengo as a long-term prospect

According to Bristol Post, Arsenal are keeping close tabs on Bristol City midfielder Han-Noah Massengo with a view to a potential move in the near future. 

The 18-year-old, who was a marquee arrival at Ashton Gate from Monaco for a fee of £2.7million in the summer, has established himself as a regular starter in the Championship for the Robins and Arsenal are seemingly plotting a swoop to bring the highly-rated midfielder to North London as an exciting long-term prospect. 

Born in France to parents of Congolese descent, Han-Noah Massengo rose through the youth ranks of Monaco before bursting on to the first-team scene last campaign.

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The teenager made only 7 appearances for Monaco in all competitions over the course of his breakthrough season but that was enough for him to earn a move to Bristol City. 

Capped by France at the U-18 level, Massengo has quickly earned the trust of Robins manager Lee Johnson, making a total of 9 appearances in the Championship, with 8 of those coming as a starter. 

The talented youngster is yet to contribute with a goal or an assist but he has caught the eye regardless, drawing admiring glances for his all-action and tough-tackling displays in a box-to-box midfield role. 

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The 18-year-old has illustrated a good level of proficiency in terms of breaking up the play, pressing the opposition off the ball and carrying the ball forward with pace and intent, whilst also impressing with his tenacity and knack for sticking out his foot to thwart the opposition. 

To put things into perspective, Han-Noah Massengo is still very much in his formative years as a professional footballer but Arsenal are well within their rights to look at him as a future star.

He is hardly a finished article at the age of 18 but early signs suggest that the former Monaco man could go on to have a big future in the beautiful game and Bristol City are likely to find it difficult to ward off interest if Arsenal come calling for his services.

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The Gunners definitely need to look for some reinforcements in the middle of the park given that Dani Ceballos is only on loan from Real Madrid, although there are hardly any similarities between Massengo and the Spaniard, who is more of a playmaker than a ball-carrier. 

The 18-year-old, though, presents a stark resemblance to his compatriot Matteo Guendouzi, not only because they have similar hairstyles but early signs suggest that the Bristol City man could be a player in the same mould.

The arrival of Unai Emery has seen academy graduates like Reiss Nelson, Bukayo Saka and Joe Willock establish themselves as mainstays in the Premier League and with Arsenal putting a lot of emphasis on building a strong platform for the future by signing up and coming players, someone like Han-Noah Massengo certainly fits the bill in North London. 

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Energy, work rate, tenacity and composure in possession, Massengo apparently has all the attributes that Unai Emery values in his central midfielders and the Spaniard’s love for tough-tackling players has been well documented ever since he took charge of Arsenal. 

The 18-year-old still needs a lot of polishing before he is ready to make a big impact in a league as competitive as the Premier League but Arsenal will be backing themselves to bring the best out of him in the years to come given that Massengo has got the raw materials as well as the hunger to taste success at the highest level. 

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All in all, Arsenal making a move for Han-Noah Massengo would definitely be a step in the right direction and one that clearly underpins their long-term goals under the stewardship of Emery.