Arsenal have agreed personal terms with 16-year-old England youth international forward Vincent Joseph, who is set to leave Liverpool, with the two clubs now discussing the compensation fee for the teenager.
Joseph’s schoolboy player registration contract with Liverpool expired this summer, and he did not sign a youth scholarship contract with the club. Arsenal have subsequently reached an agreement with the player, but the fee payable to Liverpool has yet to be settled.
If the clubs cannot reach an agreement, the compensation will be determined by the Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC).
Under the relevant regulations, compensation can be required when a player under the age of 24 moves to another club before signing a first professional contract, or joins a different team after their professional contract has expired. If the clubs involved cannot agree on the amount, the matter can be referred to arbitration.
The PFCC considers a range of factors when deciding compensation. These include the player’s age, playing record and length of time spent training with the original club, as well as the level and status of both clubs. The committee will also assess the contract terms offered to the player by each side.
Joseph is an England Under-16 international and has made nine appearances for his country, scoring eight goals. He has also featured for Liverpool in the Under-18 Premier League.
The move is part of Arsenal’s wider recruitment strategy, which has focused in recent years on signing young players regarded as having the potential to develop into first-team footballers. The club also sees the possibility of generating future transfer revenue from players who do not ultimately establish themselves at senior level.
Arsenal have also agreed a deal for another 16-year-old, Milo Bernard, who is leaving Crystal Palace. Bernard’s schoolboy player registration contract has expired, meaning Arsenal can sign him by paying a youth training compensation fee.
The London club are also preparing to complete the signing of 16-year-old Axel Doncjev from Cardiff City. Doncjev became the youngest first-team player in Cardiff City’s history when he appeared in the English Football League Trophy at the age of 15 years and 234 days.
Arsenal had previously explored a move for Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga. However, they considered Leicester’s £10m valuation of the 17-year-old to be too high, and Monga eventually joined Manchester City in July.
Manchester City have also recruited one of Arsenal’s own academy prospects. England youth international Mishael Nduka rejected a new contract offered by Arsenal before moving to the Premier League champions.
Arsenal have completed another youth signing in Elijah Upson, the 18-year-old son of former Arsenal defender Matthew Upson. He joined after leaving Tottenham and has now entered Arsenal’s academy system.
The recruitment of Joseph, Bernard and Doncjev underlines Arsenal’s continued focus on identifying high-potential players at an early age, while the club remains involved in negotiations over the compensation owed for Joseph’s transfer from Liverpool.
