Arsene Wenger has once again scoured the continent to bring young, French players to the Emirates Stadium. After Samir Nasri’s move from Marseille, a Werder Bremen youngster has claimed he is on his way to London.
Amaury Bischoff has announced that he has rejected the chance to stay with the Germans and seize the opportunity to replace Mathieu Flamini on a free transfer. He told German newspapaer Bild:
There are just a few details to sort out but Arsenal will step up for me. Bremen was superb, but Arsenal is a huge opportunity for me.
I’ve been waiting for Arsene Wenger to return from the Euro 2008 final in Vienna, but I hope to sign in the next few days.
The 21-year-old does admit that he won’t grace the first team immediately, especially as his progress has been hindered by injuries recently:
I have only just come back from a long spell out injured, so I expect to play in the reserves to get my form back
Bremen, who had only given him a run in their Under-23 side, had hoped to keep him, but instead watch Bischoff leave amicably, with managing director Klaus-Dieter Fischer stating:
We would be happy to have Amaury, but he has decided to take up a new challenge.
We wish him well and thank him for the past three years
My general feeling is that, although he has promise, he is already 21, hasn’t proved himself at Bremen and has had problems with injuries. However, having paid nothing for him, even if he never fulfils that potential, can it be seen as a bad move for Arsenal?