Liverpool youngster Ovie Ejaria has opened up about his rejection by Arsenal.
Ejaria spent nine years in Arsenal's youth set-up before being released by the club, and in an interview with ESPN today, the talented youngster admitted:
"It [the Arsenal rejection] was tough, and it came as a bit of a shock. I was fortunate enough to have offers from a number of clubs at different levels. I chose Liverpool and I'm pleased that I did."
According to Reds legend John Aldridge, Ejaria is 'technically excellent'; Neil Mellow insists he's 'amazing', and U23s boss Michael Beale recently hailed Ejaria for his 'unbelievable ability'.
If Ejaria is really worthy of this (premature) hyperbole, then it obviously begs the question: why did Arsenal reject him, especially after watching him develop for nine years?
Arsene Wenger has a great record of spotting talent in young players (and integrating them into his team), but on this occasion, he (and Arsenal's youth coaches) decided that Ejaria wasn't up to scratch.
Is this a massive, potentially costly oversight on Arsenal's part, or is a fatal weakness somewhere in Ejaria's game and/or mentality? All this remains to be seen, but right now, Ejaria certainly looks like he has the attributes to succeed in the first-team environment.
Ejaria spent nine years in Arsenal's youth set-up before being released by the club, and in an interview with ESPN today, the talented youngster admitted:
"It [the Arsenal rejection] was tough, and it came as a bit of a shock. I was fortunate enough to have offers from a number of clubs at different levels. I chose Liverpool and I'm pleased that I did."
According to Reds legend John Aldridge, Ejaria is 'technically excellent'; Neil Mellow insists he's 'amazing', and U23s boss Michael Beale recently hailed Ejaria for his 'unbelievable ability'.
If Ejaria is really worthy of this (premature) hyperbole, then it obviously begs the question: why did Arsenal reject him, especially after watching him develop for nine years?
Arsene Wenger has a great record of spotting talent in young players (and integrating them into his team), but on this occasion, he (and Arsenal's youth coaches) decided that Ejaria wasn't up to scratch.
Is this a massive, potentially costly oversight on Arsenal's part, or is a fatal weakness somewhere in Ejaria's game and/or mentality? All this remains to be seen, but right now, Ejaria certainly looks like he has the attributes to succeed in the first-team environment.
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