So, Arsenal are on the verge of signing another starlet. Arsene Wenger's track record in snapping up almost unheard of teenage talent and turning them into top class performers is formidable. This time it is no exception. Few outside of South America have heard of Samuel Galindo. We put our worldwide reach to the test when catching up with Goal.com Latin America chief editor Martin Decaux to paint a picture of what it will be like to witness 17-year-old Samuel Galindo kick off his career at Arsenal. Captain fantastic Galindo is not like most Bolivian footballers - particularly Bolivian playmakers - primarily, because he is so tall. But despite being 6ft 2in, he has a lot of technique. He can play as a forward, but in recent youth tournaments I only saw him playing as an central attacking midfielder, and he did so extremely well. I saw him in action twice over the last year. At the U20 South American championship, aged just 16 at the time, he struggled to compete. Two months later, in the U17s, he was captain and the key player in the side, named in Goal.com's Best XI of the tournament.
Crouching Samuel, hidden talent

When you first see someone like Peter Crouch, you think 'this guy must have no technique at all'. That's exactly what I thought when I first saw Galindo, but I was surprised, because despite his size, he had very nice moves and was reasonably fast.

He's a player that likes to play behind the forwards, aided by his strength in one-on-ones, impressive vision of the game and passing skills. He has a dangerous left foot and can shoot from distance, but is not a selfish player and has shown his best attribute to be his assists.

Verdict

Adapting to a new culture and climate - especially at such a young age - is impossible to gauge, but this is a player not just with the range, but also the level of ability to succeed in the English game.

He is likely to begin in the academy and with luck, perhaps make the first team squad in August for next season.

Whether he will be afforded the opportunity to play as a South American No.10 within Wenger's side is doubtful, but he may be coached into playing a left-wing role in a 4-3-3 setup and the results, at very least, have the potential to be outstanding.

The Arsenal defender Phillipe Senderos has admitted that he is flattered by Celtic’s offer to take him to Scotland on loan until the end of the season, but he has other possibilities that he would like to explore before agreeing to a move to Glasgow. “At this moment, I am still an Arsenal player, so they will have the final decision,’ said Senderos.”I am very honoured that a big club like Celtic are interested in me and, personally, a loan deal right now would suit me perfectly. “But, at present, I am studying a number of different possibilities. There are a few clubs who have expressed interest so, hopefully, it won’t be long until something is sorted out.” There are possible moves to Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Everton being discussed in the media, so Senderos obviously thinks that a better offer will arise soon, but he went on to say that he had talked to his Switzerland team-mate Ramon Varga about his time at Parkhead. I spoke with Ramon once or twice about his time in Scotland and he really enjoyed it,’ he said. “He had a successful time there and was very positive about the club and the city. ‘It’s certainly nice to be linked with a move to Celtic but, at this moment, I don’t know exactly where I will be going.” “There are a few clubs interested and I will study everything before making a decision.” Oh well, it looks like Celtic will have to look further afield to shore up their defence!

The Arsenal transfer gossip is gathering pace as it has just been revealed that the North London club have been in serious discussions with Sergio Canales agent (and father) regarding a possible move to the Emirates. The Mail reports that Gelo Canales was in London yesterday (Monday) to meet representatives of Arsenal with the express desire to seek assurances that he will not be languishing in the reserves if he moves to London. “I won’t discount any option.” Gelo said: “My son will go to a club where he will play plenty of football. That’s what interests us.” It was thought that Real Madrid were favourites to sign the talented Spanish youngster, but with a squad of Galacticos his chances of getting regular first team football seems unlikely, so perhaps it is not such a pipe-dream that he could come to Arsenal. Canales has also held talks with Manchester City and will probably have a few more interested parties to talk to, so a decision is not expected immediately, but at least we know that Arsenal are making an effort to sign the promising young striker.