‘A boy but looks like a man’ – Arsenal rival Chelsea for Wayne Rooney-esque teenager who is Premier League ready

Arsenal and Chelsea have been told that teenage target Ayyoub Bouaddi is now ready to start in the Premier League.

That’s the verdict of European football broadcaster Andy Brassell, who claimed “there’s a bit of that Wayne Rooney feel” for the 18-year-old Lille star.

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Ayyoub Bouaddi to Arsenal

Arsenal and Chelsea are among the clubs keeping an eye on the teenager, The Pitch Prospect revealed earlier this month.

The Gunners have made the most concrete request from England with Bouaddi, but face strong competition from Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG are well aware of the France U21 international, who played the full 90 minutes of Lilles’ 1-1 draw with Luis Enrique’s side in October.

Play style

Bouaddi attracted worldwide attention when he helped Lille beat Real Madrid in the Champions League on the night he turned 17 three months earlier.

“He’s fantastic,” Brassell, co-host of the Trans Euro Express podcast, told The Pitch Prospect.com exclusively.

“He’s obviously not the same player as Wayne Rooney, but I think you get a bit of the feeling that Wayne Rooney or Jude Bellingham feel for him.”

“As for his physique, his birth certificate says he’s a boy, but he immediately looks like a man.”

“He’s someone who can really handle himself, someone who doesn’t give the ball away often, someone who can cover space from box to box and he’s tactically disciplined.”