Xavier Amaechi is one of the best young talents to come out of the Arsenal academy in recent times but it’s the end of the road for him at the Emirates.
The North London have now officially confirmed that the 18-year-old forward has joined German club Hamburg. Mirror are reporting that the transfer will fetch the club a sum in the range of £2.25m.
The fee could rise based on the way that Amaechi performs. But significantly Arsenal have not included a buyback clause in this deal that would have allowed them to bring the youngster back at a future date. Ornstein revealed a few more details on the deal:
Highly-rated Arsenal & England youth winger Xavier Amaechi has joined Hamburg. 18yo rejected new contract + numerous suitors to sign 4yr deal today. Fee over €2.5m + performance-related add-ons. No buy-back but #AFC have sell-on clause. Will wear 17 & be a 1st team regular #HSV
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 27, 2019
Amaechi was being chased by some of the biggest clubs in Europe including Barcelona and Bayern Munich. His decision to move to Germany has some similarities with what happened to Jadon Sancho who moved from England to Germany and has firmly established himself for Borussia Dortmund.
The promise of first-team football from the German club is what has convinced Amaechi to leave the Emirates and move abroad. Though the winger is yet to make an appearance for the Arsenal first team, he is generally regarded as one of the best up and coming talents in English football.
His path to the first team is already blocked by senior players and now you also have two exciting youngsters in Reiss Nelson and Bukayo Saka vying for a spot on the wings. This makes it even more difficult for someone like Amaechi to make an impression at the highest level.
But many fans will be feeling that the Gunners should have added a buyback clause as they may lose out on an amazing talent. Such a clause would have ensured that Arsenal will be able to buy Amaechi at a later date for a much lower price than what he would be worth.
Despite losing a player as good as Amaechi, the club willl be confident that they have the youngsters who can step up and make a mark for themselves. The addition of Gabriel Martinelli this summer is a step in that direction.
It would have been nice to have Amaechi at the club but he is at the stage where he has to play regular first-team football. Everyone associated with the club will be wishing him the best of luck and hope he does well at Hamburg.
