Tiago Tomas: Who is the Sporting Lisbon starlet Arsenal are eyeing up?

Tiago Tomas

Transfer target Tiago Tomas: Who is the Sporting Lisbon starlet Arsenal are eyeing up? 

By Bradley West

Mikel Arteta may have been busy in the January transfer window but, according to reports, he is already lining up his next target ahead of the summer. 

With a desire to cut a bloated squad and wage bill, Arsenal added in goalkeeper Mat Ryan and midfielder Martin Odegaard on loan last month but it was in the departures where Arteta’s greatest successes were seen. 

Mesut Ozil, Sead Kolasinac, Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi all left the club for good, freeing up several spaces in the squad which Arsenal’s head coach may already be looking to fill. 

The first of which to head to the Emirates could be Sporting Lisbon wonderkid Tiago Tomas, who is believed to be close to a £20m move to England. 

The 18-year-old striker is a relative unknown on these shores, so just who is the starlet who may soon be joining the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in the Arsenal forward line?

Humble beginnings 

Born in Lisbon in 2002, Tomas caught the eye from a young age and began his footballing journey as an eight-year-old with Carcavelos. 

After two years there he moved to Colegio Marista before getting his first major break by joining the youth ranks at Estoril. 

Following a year with the Canarinhos, Tomas moved to the youth system at Sporting Lisbon, the former home of none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Coming of age 

From there, Tomas spent six years playing youth football at Sporting before he earned his big chance in July last year. 

During his time in the youth ranks at Sporting the forward gained a reputation as one of Portugal’s brightest young talents, cemented by the opportunities he gained on the international stage at under-17, under-18 and under-19 level. 

He signed his first professional contract upon turning 18 with a five-year deal rumoured to include a buyout clause of €60 million. 

But it would take until a few weeks after that for a professional debut to materialise, when he came on as an 81st-minute substitute in his side’s 2-1 Primeira Liga win over Gil Vicente. 

Tiago Tomas

Finding the net and what’s next? 

This season has seen Tomas find regular football, and a place amongst the goals amid the 26 appearances he has so far made this campaign in all competitions. 

He netted his first senior goal against Aberdeen in Sporting's 1-0 Europa League third-round qualification stage win with a clinical finish, before doubling up in the next round against LASK. 

Featuring most prominently at centre forward, but also having played on the right wing, Tomas has scored two goals and managed two assists in 19 league appearances, displaying the promise he possesses. 

With Arsenal technical director Edu believed to have cast his eye on the forward in recent weeks, and keen to get a quick deal, a lively but as yet raw and unproven talent in Tomas could well be on the move before long. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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