Omar Rekik: What could the talented teenager bring to the club?

Omar Rekik

Omar Rekik: What could the talented teenager bring to the club?

By Peter White

The turn of the New Year signalled the opening of the hotly-anticipated January transfer window, with a hive of activity expected at Emirates Stadium over the coming weeks.  

Arsenal - currently languishing in mid-table in the Premier League - could benefit hugely from a shake-up in the ranks, with the likes of Isco and Odsonne Edouard tipped to come in and boost the Gunners’ prospects.  

While a number of outgoings are also expected, it seems that the first arrival this month will be somewhat less high-profile, with long-time target Omar Rekik rumoured to be close to sealing a permanent switch to the 14-time FA Cup winners.  

The 19-year-old Hertha Berlin defender was expected to sign in the summer only for time restraints to halt proceedings, but with a deal of around €600,000 reportedly agreed it would appear that boss Mikel Arteta finally has his man.  

Though Rekik isn’t expected to make an immediate impact on the senior Arsenal squad, we take a look at what the he could bring to North London as and when the deal does go through.
  

Bolstering the youth ranks

Rekik could yet be loaned back to Hertha Berlin as part of the transfer agreement, but regardless of that his first involvement with Arsenal is likely to be with academy manager Per Mertesacker and the under-23s.  

Although he has featured on the bench several times, Rekik is yet to make his first-team debut for the Bundesliga side but has impressed for Hertha’s reserves during 2020/21 and would add some key experience to Arsenal’s youth ranks.  

Fellow young defender William Saliba may have been shipped out on loan to Nice but it is hoped that Rekik will go on to form a strong partnership with the £28m man - at academy level and in the senior side – and complete an exciting trio of young centre-backs with Gabriel also in the frame. 

The addition of Rekik would see the continuation of a determined academy recruitment process driven by Mertesacker that has seen the likes of Nikolaj Moller and Jonathan Dinzeyi come in over recent months, as the Gunners look to feed the first team with star quality in the future.
  

Knowledge of the English game

Despite having been born in the Netherlands and been called up to represent Tunisia at international level, Rekik has pedigree in the English game following a short spell at Manchester City between 2012-2014.  

Having joined City from Feyenoord, Rekik departed England to return to the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven and was also on the books at Marseille ahead of his switch to Hertha Berlin in 2017.  

While not even in his teens the last time he featured for an English club, Rekik would contribute a wealth of experience from across the continent should the signing go through, while any familiarity with how the game is played this side of the channel should stand him in good stead.
  

Tipped for the top

Arsenal have been guilty of making some underwhelming signings in recent years, but the club are obviously big admirers of Rekik and their persistent attempts to sign a player yet to flourish on the main stage suggest he is likely to have a bright future.  

A right-sided centre-back capable of playing on the left and in midfield, Rekik has been the subject of attention from clubs across Europe and Arteta and Mertesacker clearly believe his arrival would represent a major coup.  

Certainly they hope he can hit the heights of his older brother Karim, 26, who featured for Manchester City, Portsmouth and Blackburn at the start of his career and now plays for Sevilla and the senior Netherlands side.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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