Blackpool’s teenage winger, Bright Osayi-Samuel, has been attracting interest across England of late.
According to recent reports, Arsenal are just one of the clubs interested in his signature.
The 19-year-old, who made his competitive debut two seasons ago, has already amassed 50 club appearances with the Seasiders. Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham have all been linked with formal approaches for the forward, whose existing contract (option for a further year) ends this summer.
Is he any good?
The talented teenager was born in Nigeria but left for Spain at a young age. His family moved to England when he was 10-years-old and Samuel was soon snapped up by Blackpool’s academy afterwards.
Opting to represent his country of birth at international level, there is genuine optimism that the winger will be able to make a step-up into Nigeria’s senior side soon – which contains the likes of Manchester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho and our own Alex Iwobi for attacking company.
A right-midfielder, he can also play on the opposite side and has shown adaptability to start further forward in a central attacking role up-top.
He has netted two goals and created an assist (all competitions) this term, which aren’t particularly eyecatching statistics but once you delve deeper it is clear that he offers more than just a goal threat. His physical prowess means he is a handful for defenders to contain and it’s unsurprising that manager Gary Bowyer has used him as a striker upon occasion.
Manager quotes, final verdict
Bowyer has previously admitted that he’d be reluctant but powerless to stop key players leaving in future.
“We have some good young players here and it [clubs coming to watch us] does not surprise me. If there is a young player playing regular first-team football anywhere up or down the country, then the big boys have to do their job properly.”
“Do I want to lose any of the players? No, but I realise we are in League Two,” he continued.
Always eager to get on the ball, he uses quick footwork and his agile frame to weave past defenders. One main criticism of his playing style is the tendency to try one too many trick, which can often result in loss of possession. His end product needs work to increase his consistency over time but at 19, he has plenty of time to reach full potential.
Confident in his ability on the pitch, it’s clear he has the talent to justify a step-up in quality. With that being said, he needs regular minutes under his belt and would probably benefit for another season in League Two before deciding where his long-term future lies.