Arsenal completed the signing of Jonathan Dinzeyi on a free transfer earlier this week. The youngster was released by Tottenham and it was a surprise to see the Gunners offer him a deal.
The 20-year-old is a strong, ball-playing central defender who loves a tackle. In his own words, it hurts him when he doesn’t keep a clean sheet, which is a good attitude to have for a player who wants to succeed at the highest level.
Per Mertesacker, a World Cup-winning centre-half, is Arsenal’s head of academy while the manager of the under-23 side, Steve Bould, is another well-respected figure in and around the club.
Bould was part of the first-team coaching staff until the end of the 2018/19 season. He replaced Freddie Ljungberg to take over the youth team when the Swede moved in the other direction at the start of the last campaign.
Dinzeyi will play under Bould and the young defender claims that his new boss is one of the biggest reasons why he agreed to join Arsenal after he was released by Spurs.
He said: “Knowing that Steve Bould is the head coach was a big factor for me. He’s a legend at the club and he’s played in my position, so I’m really hoping I can learn from him to develop my game.
“Seeing the likes of Nelson, Saka, Nketiah and Willock getting chances was a big thing for me too. That was another reason why I wanted to come here because I believe if you train hard then you’ll play well and the manager will give you the opportunity for you to show what you’re about. I’m really glad I’ve been given this opportunity.”
Bould is a popular figure at Arsenal and Dinzeyi will certainly learn a lot from him. Senior squad boss Mikel Arteta has already shown that he isn’t afraid to give youngsters a chance if they prove their worth, which is a big incentive for everyone in the under-23s to perform.
Dinzeyi will likely spend next season with the youth squad. Arsenal have a number of first-team centre-halves at the moment and, with them trying to add another one, the youngster will have to do something special to make a jump into the senior squad next season
