Chilean wonderkid Marcelo Allende has reportedly arrived for his second trial at Arsenal. The teenager had trained with the senior squad at London Colney on Tuesday ahead of their league trip to Liverpool this weekend.
The 17-year-old has been on the Gunners’ radar since the start of 2016, having impressed while captaining his national side at the Under-17 World Cup finals a year before.
Allende, who is an attacking midfielder by trade, began his career with Cobreloa – the same club which produced Eduardo Vargas and Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.
The teenager had first undergone a trial with the north London club in 2016 when he participated for the side in their victorious Durban International Cup campaign.
Since then, he has managed to earn himself a fresh move to Deportes Santa Cruz in the Chilean third division for whom he has turned out nine times this term.
Allende has been invited for his second trial with Arsene Wenger’s side, and it appears now that the Gunners are closer to negotiating a potential deal for his signature.
The midfielder, who is being dubbed as the ‘new Alexis Sanchez’, will nevertheless have to wait until next month to sign officially – at a time when he will turn 18.
When asked to describe his style of play, the Chile Under-17 skipper revealed that he is a fast thinker who likes ‘splitting the lines’ with a pass.
“I’m a fast thinker and always try to have the play mapped out before I get the ball – then just take a touch,” He was quoted as saying on The London Evening Standard. “I also like splitting the lines with a pass… that gives me as much pleasure as a goal.”
