Arsenal youngster Tafari Moore has joined FC Utrecht of Eredivisie on a loan deal which would keep him at the Dutch side for the whole 2016/17 season.
The 19-year-old full-back only signed a new deal with the Gunners in January with Arsenal but is now looking to gain more experience. He is under contract at the Emirates Stadium until 2018. He has been with Arsenal since he was 12-years-old, and will now test himself in the top tier of Dutch football.
Arsenal youth chief Andries Jonker has used his contacts in the Netherlands to secure a trial for Moore with the Dutch club and has now impressed and they have given him a one-year loan deal.
Moore is an England youth international and won the Under-17 European Championships with the England in 2014. The right-back was part of the England under-19 squad for this summer’s European Championships, but he pulled out through injury.
Moore made a total of 15 appearances for the under-21s last season and played a further three times in the UEFA Youth League for the under-19s.
Utrecht technical manager Erik ten Hag said:
We know the plans of Arsenal and see this as a win-win situation for all parties.
FC Utrecht have a young defender with offensive qualities in the house.
He compares himself with Dani Alves and has the pace and the agility to go forward and help with the attacking perspective of the team. He still needs to work on his defending a bit but he might be the one for the future.
A statement on Arsenal’s website read:
We would like to wish Tafari well for his time in the Netherlands.
So do we. All the best Tafari. Here is the video introducing Tafari Moore:
