Latest news with #KonstantinosKaretsas
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Who is Konstantinos Karetsas? Arsenal in talks to sign £38m 'Greek Messi' who snubbed rival
Reports suggest that Arsenal are close completing the signing of Konstantinos Karetsas for a cool £38million and the Gunners would be getting one of Europe's most coveted wonderkids It's not every day you sign a player compared to Lionel Messi but Arsenal could be about to do just that. Konstantinos Karetsas, who's just 17, is reportedly the subject of transfer talks between the Gunners and Belgian giants Genk, his hometown club. So, why is he called the 'Greek Messi'? Let's deal with the first part, as Arsenal close in on a £38million agreement. Karetsas was born in the city of Genk and represented Belgium at international level up until the under-21s. But Greek football chiefs had their eyes on him, as both of his parents are from the north of the country and he'd shown a willingness to switch allegiances. Ahead of their Nations League play-off against Scotland in March, FIFA approved the change and Karetsas won his first cap, admitting that he'd 'always have had Greece in the back of his mind' if he'd have chosen Belgium. His second appearance was one to remember, scoring Greece's second goal in a 3-0 drubbing at Hampden Park to earn promotion to League A. Karetsas bagged a goal on his first appearance for Genk after the international break and remained a regular starter until the end of the campaign, as their title charge fell away. Primarily an attacking midfielder, the diminutive playmaker has drawn lofty comparisons to Messi thanks to his fleet-footed dribbling and creative qualities. Like the Barcelona legend, Karetsas enjoys cutting in from the right-hand side and using his left foot to dazzle defenders. The 17-year-old grew up watching clips of fellow Barca icons Ronaldinho and Neymar which influenced his playing style. At 5ft 7in, his low centre of gravity allows him to stay balanced when slaloming through the opposition. Karetsas scored three goals and supplied three assists in his first full season for Genk, who he rejoined in 2023 after a three-year spell with Anderlecht. Now the 2007-born prodigy is set to leave Genk for a second time, although he could've left two years ago when Manchester City, AC Milan and RB Leipzig all invited him to tour their facilities. His dad, Vaios, told Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws: "We thought it was too early for a move abroad. RB Leipzig, Milan and even Manchester City invited us several times to come and have a look. We didn't like it. Should Arsenal pay £38m for Konstantinos Karetsas? Have your say in the comments section. "The only team outside Genk where we had discussions was Ajax. Purely because it is close by and we have a lot of respect for that club. That was just one conversation. The second would be about sporting and financial matters, but we had already given our word to Genk at that time." Karetsas has been patient and stayed closer to home, but don't doubt his ambition. "I aim for the very top," he declared in an interview with DAZN earlier this year. Arsenal will hope to guide him there. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Arsenal and the importance of finding a transfer-window balance
For Mikel Arteta, this is a 'win now' summer. The Arsenal manager is looking for the final pieces in a jigsaw that will hopefully fit together to finally allow his team to lift major silverware again in 2026. Arsenal's top brass appear determined to support him in this pursuit. 'We plan to invest to get behind winning and doing better next season,' said co-chair Josh Kroenke in his address to supporters in May. After being underwhelmed by the club's activity in the previous two transfer windows, Arsenal fans are expecting signings this time who can make an instant impact. Advertisement But the club must look past 2025-26, too. This transfer window provides an opportunity to recruit talent not just for next season, but beyond. How do Arsenal balance their need for immediate reinforcements with the desire to future-proof the squad and acquire emerging talent? A case in point: Arsenal are among the clubs tracking Genk's 17-year-old Greece international Konstantinos Karetsas (above). They have followed Karetsas' dramatic rise closely. He spent a year playing in the Belgian second division with Jong Genk (their second team) before graduating to the senior side in February 2024. From the start of last season, a 16-year-old Karetsas was featuring regularly in Belgium's top flight. His emergence helped offset the departure of Bilal El-Khannouss, who joined Leicester City in August. Karetsas predominantly plays as a No 8 or No 10, but can also operate off the right. Although he represented Belgium at youth level, when it came to the seniors, Karetsas switched to Greece — the country of his parents' birth. He made his full debut in March as a substitute against Scotland in the first leg of their Nations League promotion/relegation play-off and got his first international goal in the return fixture, becoming the youngest scorer in Greek football history at 17 years, four months and four days old. He is part of an exciting generation of young Greek talent — Arsenal have also followed Olympiacos' 18-year-old midfielder Christos Mouzakitis. A player capped at 17 is likely to command a high price. Genk expect a fee that could rise as high as €30million to €40m (£25.3m-£33.7m/$34.3m-$45.8m) after add-ons. Any deal agreed now would be formalised at a later date, or involve a loan back to Genk: as he doesn't turn 18 until November, Karetsas is not eligible to join Arsenal until the next winter window. Advertisement As yet though, there has been no contact between the two clubs. Whether Arsenal's interest progresses will be determined by their key decision-makers. Arsenal's aim is clear: to win. But what's the recruitment strategy that will underpin and sustain that? Arteta is bullish about the club's need to add established, Premier League-ready players this summer. Equally, Arsenal have committed to supporting academy manager Per Mertesacker with a budget to strengthen at under-16 and under-17 levels. But between those extremes, there's another category to consider: the development player. These are those prospects between the ages of 18 and 21 who are on the fringes of the first-team squad, but capable of contributing when required. Crucially, they are investments — players who could be stars of the future, or valuable assets. Signings of this kind were a regular feature of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, at a time when punishing interest payments relating to the Emirates Stadium's construction made that kind of value-chasing purchase a necessity. Arsenal are a different club now, with different aspirations — but is there still a need to speculate? It's a dilemma the Kroenkes will be well-versed in. Like most of the Premier League's American owners, they instinctively like the idea of acquiring young talent with big potential upside. But they also recognise the need to win imminently — and have shown with other teams in their sporting empire, such as the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl victory three years ago, that they are prepared to invest in experience to get over the line. Karetsas is one of several young stars Arsenal have contemplated moving for over the past 12 months. They closely followed the development of Vitor Reis at Brazil's Palmeiras, and could have signed him for less than the near £30million Manchester City ultimately paid in January. The 18-year-old Rosenborg midfielder Sverre Nypan held talks with Arsenal over a possible €15m move in that same window, but ultimately decided to stay in Norway until at least the summer. If Arsenal had been more front-footed and persuasive in their pursuit, the outcome might have been different. Arsenal's reticence to spend on development players is understandable — particularly in the case of last January, when there was also an urgent need for a first-team centre-forward. That window crystallises the dichotomy perfectly: while some at Arsenal urged that the club follow through on longstanding interest in teenagers Reis and Nypan, Arteta was eager to land Aston Villa's Premier League-proven 29-year-old striker Ollie Watkins. Advertisement These two strands of recruitment, however, are not mutually exclusive. They are complementary. Renewal and future planning are part of any coherent recruitment strategy. That falls squarely under the remit of new sporting director Andrea Berta. While Arteta's emphasis is inevitably going to be on the here and now, Berta is responsible for the mid-term and beyond. He must determine whether there is room in this summer's plans — and budget — for development players. This is thematically tied to the internal debate at Arsenal over the No 9 position. Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig represents the development project — newly 22 years old (his birthday was last week) and with huge upside, but a player who may take a little time to fulfil that potential. Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting CP, by contrast, is already in his prime having turned 27 on Wednesday. We are still waiting for Berta's first signing, but he has begun the process of remodelling his recruitment team. After the departure of Jason Ayto, the former assistant and interim sporting director, Arsenal are in advanced talks with Matteo Tognozzi over a senior recruitment role. Tognozzi helped set up Juventus Next Gen, an Under-23 team the club enrolled in Italy's third division to help bridge the gap between youth and first-team football. His work at Juventus is well-regarded. During Tognozzi's time in Turin, the likes of Dean Huijsen, Kenan Yildiz, Matias Soule and Samuel Iling-Junior arrived and graduated to top-level football. Tognozzi could arrive at Arsenal this summer, but perhaps too late to influence this window's business. Could his appointment nevertheless be an indicator that development players are a priority for Berta? What all this means for Karetsas remains to be seen. A fee that could eventually surpass €30million in the current window is a lot for a player who can't play for Arsenal this calendar year. Advertisement Of late, Arteta's voice has tended to carry most authority on first-team transfers. Will he advocate for the signing of a player who doesn't immediately improve his options? And if not, does Berta have the authority, influence or will to change that? Managerial buy-in is essential if Arsenal are to embrace this strategy. One contention from the club might be that they don't need to invest heavily in development talents at a time when their academy is producing prodigies such as Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, both 18. Nwaneri, and the highly regarded 15-year-old Max Dowman, are both relevant to the potential pursuit of Karetsas. All three are left-footed attacking midfielders. Do Arsenal risk congesting an area of the pitch where they need to demonstrate clear pathways? Ultimately, much may depend on their vision for Nwaneri's and Dowman's ultimate positions — and the outcome of he former's contract negotiations. For Arsenal, it will be about striking a balance. If they fail to address the immediate issues, they may fall short again next season. And all the while, rivals such as City and Chelsea continue to assemble talent with an eye on tomorrow. If Arsenal neglect the development category, they may find themselves playing catch-up in just a few years' time.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Arsenal in talks for teenage talent with Fabregas comparisons
Arsenal Pursue Karetsas Deal as Focus Turns to Future-proofing Midfield Genk starlet emerges as major summer target In a move that blends audacity with foresight, Arsenal are reportedly in advanced talks to sign 17-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas from Genk, in a deal that could be worth up to €45 million. The Athenian-Macedonian news agency reports that the Gunners aim to finalise a deal this summer but allow the Greek teenager to stay on loan at Genk for the 2025/26 season. Photo IMAGO It is a strategy that speaks to Arsenal's wider recalibration: youth, sustainability, and calculated aggression in the market. A generation ago, this might have looked like a gamble. Now, it is Arsenal's default setting. Karetsas drawing continental attention The midfielder's stock has surged rapidly, driven by composed displays in the Jupiler Pro League and a standout performance in Greece's 3-0 win over Scotland earlier this year. Comparisons to a young Cesc Fabregas are not handed out lightly, but they reflect Karetsas' control, vision and game intelligence. Photo IMAGO Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta is central to the negotiations, with his relationship with Karetsas' agent, who also facilitated Albert Sambi Lokonga's transfer, smoothing the process. Historic price tag expected Should the reported deal be completed, Karetsas would become the most expensive Greek player in history, eclipsing the €36 million Napoli paid for Kostas Manolas in 2019. Arsenal are keen to seal the transfer early to ward off interest from Chelsea, Bayern Munich and PSG, all of whom are monitoring the player. Photo IMAGO The plan is not to fast-track Karetsas to the Emirates but to let him mature in Belgium. First-team football, week in and week out, is deemed crucial before unleashing his potential in North London by 2026. Long-term vision meets short-term needs While the pursuit of Karetsas represents Arsenal's eye for tomorrow, they are also navigating the present. Talks are ongoing with RB Leipzig over striker Benjamin Sesko, who netted 21 goals last season. Sporting director Berta is also in dialogue with Thomas Partey about a potential one-year contract extension, though Barcelona and Saudi clubs remain interested. Advertisement In this moment, Arsenal are plotting parallel paths: building a title-contending squad for now, and constructing the foundation for the future. Our View – EPL Index Analysis Konstantinos Karetsas may not be a household name yet, but neither was Fabregas at 17, and the comparison isn't just flattery. His calmness in midfield, ability to read the game and dictate tempo already sets him apart from many seasoned pros. What's even more encouraging for the supporters is that the club are not rushing this. Letting him develop at Genk shows trust in the process and a clear long-term vision. Arsenal are no longer scrambling for short-term fixes. They're identifying elite potential early, something the best-run clubs have done for years. Advertisement And it's not happening in isolation. With Sesko negotiations ongoing and Partey's situation being managed with care, there's a sense of joined-up thinking behind the scenes. Berta's influence is already being felt — smart, strategic, and forward-thinking. If Karetsas does arrive, he won't just be the most expensive Greek footballer ever. He could very well be a cornerstone of Arsenal's next great side. The future looks not just bright — it looks planned.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Arsenal in talks for teenage talent with Fabregas comparisons
Arsenal Pursue Karetsas Deal as Focus Turns to Future-proofing Midfield Genk starlet emerges as major summer target In a move that blends audacity with foresight, Arsenal are reportedly in advanced talks to sign 17-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas from Genk, in a deal that could be worth up to €45 million. The Athenian-Macedonian news agency reports that the Gunners aim to finalise a deal this summer but allow the Greek teenager to stay on loan at Genk for the 2025/26 season. Photo IMAGO It is a strategy that speaks to Arsenal's wider recalibration: youth, sustainability, and calculated aggression in the market. A generation ago, this might have looked like a gamble. Now, it is Arsenal's default setting. Karetsas drawing continental attention The midfielder's stock has surged rapidly, driven by composed displays in the Jupiler Pro League and a standout performance in Greece's 3-0 win over Scotland earlier this year. Comparisons to a young Cesc Fabregas are not handed out lightly, but they reflect Karetsas' control, vision and game intelligence. Photo IMAGO Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta is central to the negotiations, with his relationship with Karetsas' agent, who also facilitated Albert Sambi Lokonga's transfer, smoothing the process. Historic price tag expected Should the reported deal be completed, Karetsas would become the most expensive Greek player in history, eclipsing the €36 million Napoli paid for Kostas Manolas in 2019. Arsenal are keen to seal the transfer early to ward off interest from Chelsea, Bayern Munich and PSG, all of whom are monitoring the player. Photo IMAGO The plan is not to fast-track Karetsas to the Emirates but to let him mature in Belgium. First-team football, week in and week out, is deemed crucial before unleashing his potential in North London by 2026. Long-term vision meets short-term needs While the pursuit of Karetsas represents Arsenal's eye for tomorrow, they are also navigating the present. Talks are ongoing with RB Leipzig over striker Benjamin Sesko, who netted 21 goals last season. Sporting director Berta is also in dialogue with Thomas Partey about a potential one-year contract extension, though Barcelona and Saudi clubs remain interested. Advertisement In this moment, Arsenal are plotting parallel paths: building a title-contending squad for now, and constructing the foundation for the future. Our View – EPL Index Analysis Konstantinos Karetsas may not be a household name yet, but neither was Fabregas at 17, and the comparison isn't just flattery. His calmness in midfield, ability to read the game and dictate tempo already sets him apart from many seasoned pros. What's even more encouraging for the supporters is that the club are not rushing this. Letting him develop at Genk shows trust in the process and a clear long-term vision. Arsenal are no longer scrambling for short-term fixes. They're identifying elite potential early, something the best-run clubs have done for years. Advertisement And it's not happening in isolation. With Sesko negotiations ongoing and Partey's situation being managed with care, there's a sense of joined-up thinking behind the scenes. Berta's influence is already being felt — smart, strategic, and forward-thinking. If Karetsas does arrive, he won't just be the most expensive Greek footballer ever. He could very well be a cornerstone of Arsenal's next great side. The future looks not just bright — it looks planned.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal 'very close' to Greek wonderkid transfer in record deal
Arsenal have opened negotiations with Genk over a deal for their midfield starlet Konstantinos Karetsas, who has already been courted by some of Europe's top clubs Arsenal are in talks with Genk over a transfer for Konstantinos Karetsas, with an agreement for the Greek midfield prodigy now 'very close', according to reports in his homeland. Karetsas, 17, has already been linked with a whole host of Europe's elite since his senior breakthrough and can count Real Madrid among his many admirers. It seems that Arsenal, though, may have stolen a march on the competition as they bid to bring Karetsas to the Premier League. According to reports in Greece, via the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, talks between Arsenal and Genk are underway. Furthermore, an agreement between the two clubs is said to be close with an overall package of £38million on the table. The deal would see Karetsas be loaned back to Genk for the 2025-26 campaign before linking up with Arsenal in the future. It would be a record for a Greek player if a deal is indeed finalised, breaking the record held by Kostas Manolas, following his move from Roma to Napoli for £30m back in 2019. Despite his tender years, Karetsas has an array of admirers, some of whom have already tried to poach him from Genk without success. That includes Manchester City, who have invited the youngster to visit them on more than one occasion. The player's father, Vaios, confirmed this in an interview with a Dutch newspaper, saying: "RB Leipzig, Milan and even Manchester City invited us several times to come and look; we didn't like it. "The only team outside Genk where we had discussions was Ajax." Karetsas has caught the eye in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League for Genk this season and also dazzled in Greece's 3-0 win over Scotland in March, where he scored his maiden senior international goal. Arsenal are expected to be active in the summer transfer window and are also pursuing a deal for the Real Sociedad playmaker, Martin Zubimendi, who is expected to finally move to the Premier League pending a medical. The Gunners also want an elite striker, although it is still unclear whether they plan to pursue a deal for Viktor Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko, both of whom are long-term targets.
