Arsenal whizkid striker Kaylen Hinds is set for a £2million move to Wolfsburg FC… but will they regret letting him go?
German club confident they can offer England youth star the first-team appearances he craves but can't get at the Emirates
LAST summer Arsenal lost a talented youngster to the Bundesliga.
Serge Gnabry joined Werder Breman and was so good he earned a move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich less than 12 months later.
This summer history may repeat itself.
For Kaylen Hinds, a 19-year-old who has been with the Gunners since 2012, has emerged as a Wolfsburg transfer target.
The German club are hopeful of concluding a £2million deal for Hinds knowing can offer him the first-team football that is unlikely at Arsenal.
But who is the young forward? We got our friends at to profile Hinds, who has been capped at several youth levels by England.
Who is Kaylen Hinds and where does he come from?
Born in Brent, in north-west London, but brought up in Islington, Hinds spent his formative years as a young player in the youth set-up with Leyton Orient.
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However, like any talented player, no matter the age group, bigger clubs took notice. Fulham were reportedly keen, Manchester United, too.
But Hinds, then 14, opted to move to boyhood club Arsenal.
His progress with the Gunners was rapid. Before celebrating his 16th birthday, Hinds was representing the club’s Under-18 side.
He then received national attention in September 2013 when he featured for the club’s Under-19s in the UEFA Youth League aged 15.
He may have only played the final five minutes of a 4-1 win over Marseille but it meant he travelled on the same flight to France as the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott.
"We got three schoolboys that would be at school and they're sitting on the same plane as our first team,” then Arsenal Under-19s boss Steve Gatting explained.
“It's a great experience for the boys to be in with the first team, especially travelling with them.”
Hinds made a smattering of appearances for the Under-18s and Under-19s during the 2013/14 campaign and also represented England at Under-16 and Under-17 age groups.
His stock was on the rise but the 2014/15 campaign would be a difficult one as he suffered two long-term injuries and was out of action for seven months.
But when he did play he was amongst the goals and that form was rewarded with a pro deal in February 2015.
Hinds was also fortunate enough to be coached by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry when he worked with the club’s Under-18s.
“It was amazing to listen to him and to experience him coaching us,” Hinds said.
“The way he talked to us you could tell he’d been in our shoes and knew what to say. It was a good experience.
"He’d always say: 'Be confident on the pitch and be the best you can be. If you make a mistake just move on from it. Just make sure the next thing you do is right.'"
Hinds earned a call-up to the England Under-18s squad in 2015/16, making 12 appearances for Arsenal’s Under-23s and striking five goals.
It was clear Hinds had outgrown academy football last season and, as such, he only played three times for the Under-23s.
He needed first-team action and, in January, signed a new contract with the Gunners before joining Stevenage on loan until the end of the campaign.
Hinds made 13 appearances for Boro, although only four were starts, and didn’t find the back of the net. That was, however, partly down to the fact he was played as a support striker and out wide.
How much will he cost?
Given Hinds has not yet made an appearance for the Gunners first-team the club won’t be demanding a huge fee.
Wolfsburg are ready to offer Arsenal £2million and are confident that will get the deal done.
Where is his most likely destination this summer?
Quite obviously, Wolfsburg. Talks are already underway between the player and the club, who are managed by Andries Jonker, Arsenal’s former head of academy.
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Jonker is reportedly a big fan of Hinds and believes he can realise his potential in the Bundesliga.
He is willing to give the youngster a place in his first-team squad, which could see Hinds go from playing Barnet to maybe facing Bayern Munich in the space of 12 months.