The hysteria of the transfer window meant the story that Arsenal were tracking a starlet in early August was lost in the hype – now an apparent conclusion has been reached, with the Mirror reporting that 16-year-old Real Madrid midfielder Jose Rodriguez has agreed terms with Arsenal after spending two days visiting the club and being presented with a financial offer; the product of Real’s famous La Fabrica academy has appeared three times for the Spanish Under-17 side, scoring on his debut against Moldova.
It is believed Rodriguez, who was spotted by chief Spanish scout Francis Cagigao, has been presented a five-year deal with the promise of a first team debut within two years. The box-to-box midfielder spent five years with his local club Villajoyosa before joining Hercules in 2007 and then signing for the Real Madrid Under-16s two years later. Jose Rodriguez was spotted after his performances in the Under-17 World Club Championship where he was voted player of the tournament despite Real being knocked out in the semis by their rivals Barca.
Cesc Fabregas, who is undisputedly Cagigao’s best spot so far for Arsenal, is believed to have urged the midfielder to make the switch to the Emirates. Rodriguez is 5’10″ at the age of 16 and is known for his powerful but technical presence in midfield – watching him, as much as we hesitate to say it parallels have to be drawn to Abou Diaby in terms of players here at the moment but the player himself aspires to be a mixture of Mesut Ozil and Xabi Alonso. Real Madrid have allegedly accepted a compensation deal and Jose Rodriguez will follow Barcelona’s Jon Toral and Hector Bellerin as for Spanish summer signings.
