Coby Small has signed for Bournemouth following his departure from Arsenal this summer.
The defender’s future was unclear after he wasn’t offered a professional contract by the Gunners following the expiration of his scholarship.
During his time at Arsenal Small made 12 appearances for the U18s and was also named in the bench in the UEFA Youth League.
Another former Arsenal youth player, Teo Minchev, has also signed for Bournemouth.
Tottenham dealt transfer blow after brutally honest admission – but there’s a £65m catch
Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi has delivered an honest response amid transfer rumours linking him with a move to Tottenham. football.london have previously reported that Tottenham were big admirers of the Ukraine international before his switch to the Cherries.
After missing one Premier League game under Andoni Iraola across his first full season, Zabarnyi received some rave reviews which has certainly explained why Tottenham and Arsenal were interested in signing him when he was at Dynamo Kyiv.
The Lilywhites have significantly strengthened at centre-back since the arrival of Ange Postecoglou, with Radu Dragusin following Micky van de Ven through the door. Despite that, Spurs have been linked to signing another new defender after departures for Eric Dier and Emerson Royal.
Tottenham could rekindle their interest in Zabarnyi over these next few trading periods, although it’s likely he will cost much more than the £24million transfer fee Bournemouth paid 18 months ago. However, there’s no guarantee that he even wants the move, especially judging by his latest comments regarding his future.
“There have always been rumours, but I haven’t talked to my agents about it,” he told Dynamo Kiev.UA.
“I’m focused on playing at Bournemouth. Then we’ll see, I don’t know anything yet.”
Zabarnyi has refused to entertain speculation but he could, perhaps, be tempted to make the transfer following Dominic Solanke’s big-money switch to north London. The striker was on Tottenham’s shortlist with Postecoglou quickly identifying him as a priority target. As a result, negotiations reached an advanced stage with Spurs swiftly wrapping up a £65million deal to sign him from Bournemouth.