Arsenal set to activate Njie’s release clause ahead of January

Arsenal is reportedly on the verge of activating the £800,000 buy-out clause in Clinton N’jie’s contract according to reports in the Mirror.

N’jie is a starlet who plays for Lyon Football Club in the French Ligue 1 and has been likened to compatriot, Samuel Eto’o.

The highly rated 21-year-old has risen to prominence lately with eye-catching performances which earned him a call-up to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon squad that played Congo recently in which he scored a goal.

He is said to be a powerful and speedy with a good goal scoring sense which reminds a lot of the former Barcelona and Chelsea star, Eto’o. The Mirror reports that Arsene Wenger has been alerted about the player’s potential and it is thought that the manager is ready to activate his release clause which is considered very meagre considering his huge talent.

Arsene Wenger has a penchant for young players of French background and a number of them have come to Arsenal to perform wonderfully well. In the current Arsenal squad is Yaya Sanogo who comes to mind immediately when N’jie’s profile is read.

Though still struggling to make a mark at Arsenal, Sanogo has shown potentials and is a very potent attacker for the French U-21s. N’jie too like Sanogo is a rookie in the Lyon first team and hasn’t really made any mark as a Lyon player. However, he has scored for Lyon in the Europa League qualifier against Mlada Bolesav and it doesn’t seem Lyon would let him go just yet.

He played his first professional match during the 2012-2013 season against Reims for a 3-0 victory. It is however puzzling what Arsenal needs a player like this for when Yaya Sanogo is still a work in progress. This is coming after Arsenal was said to have completed a $15m deal to bring Barcelona’s forward Munir El Haddadi, a 19-year-old to the Emirates in January.

While many fans have questioned the rationale behind signing Munir El Haddadi, this report of an interest in 21-year-old Clinton N’jie broke. Arsenal is blessed with rising stars at the Youth level that could be given a good shot of first team football at Arsenal.

Chuba Akpom, the very impressive 18-year-old forward, Yaya Sanogo, the 21-year-old French U-21 forward, Benik Afobe, who is currently on loan at MK Dons and has pulled some very fantastic performances and other young attackers who are itching to make their mark for Arsenal.

This list is not exhaustive as players like Joel Campbell, 22, who has got little or no competitive football since his return from his loan spell and Danny Welbeck, 23, the new Arsenal attacker. Therefore, securing a deal for another 19-year-old attacker, no matter how highly rated is indeed a misplacement of priorities.

The player’s eye-catching performances at Lyon and his stint with the national team of Cameroon may have caught the attention of Arsenal scouts, but the possibility of bringing this player in at the Emirates would mean the possible undermining of the inherent talents in the striking positions.