Arsenal are keeping a keen eye on PSV wonder kid Zakaria Bakkali. The 18-year-old Belgian winger is coming off of a successful first season of professional football. He made 22 appearances in all competitions for the Eindhoven club, scoring three goals. Early in the season, Bakkali became the youngest player to score an Eredivisie hat-trick, when he bagged three against NEC Nijmegen.
Because of his Moroccan descent and Belgian birth, Bakkali was eligible to play for both Morocco and Belgium. He was recently called into the Belgian squad by Marc Wilmots, but had to pull out because of injury. Despite this, he still publicly stated that he would commit his future to Belgium. With Bakkali’s declaration, the future of Belgium football appears to be bright with both him and Manchester United’s Adnan Januzaj committing their futures to the national team.
Bakkali is a troublemaker of sort. His immaturity has shown itself to the PSV management throughout this season. Recently, he refused to sign an extension with PSV and is actively seeking to leave the club. Along with Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool are keeping tabs on him.
Bakkali is a very quick and very skillful attacking threat. He is shaped in the mold of a shorter Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. His potential to be a great player is very high, but will only manifest itself if he matures. Arsene Wenger has a history of controlling troublesome players and getting the best out of them, so Arsenal would be a great place for Bakkali to be.