Teenage Zim star linked to Arsenal

IN the week that a number of England-based footballers have been drafted into the Warriors set-up, the biggest circulating daily British newspaper, The Sun, have reported that Zimbabwean teenage star Trystan Nydam could be on his way to English giants Arsenal.

Nydam, the 17-year-old midfielder who has forced his way into the first XI of Championship side Ipswich Town, is believed to have set his sights on playing for England and not Zimbabwe.

He was born in Harare and went to school here before leaving to settle in the United Kingdom with his mother while his father, Julio, still lives in the capital.

With his Dutch connections, the Netherlands have also enquired if the highly-rated teenage star could be available for their national team in the long run. The Sun say Arsenal are preparing a £2m swoop for Nydam but other sources say they could face a battle for his signature given that Tottenham are believed to have joined the race with a £7m offer.

Nydam’s former Ipswich Town teammate, Kundai Benyu, who joined Scottish giants Celtic in July this year, has been drafted into the Warriors for their next two games against Lesotho and Namibia.

The Sun newspaper have described Nydam as “jam, he is good’’, and a “whizkid’’ in a ringing endorsement of the teenage forward.Arsene Wenger is preparing a stunning move for Ipswich whizkid Tristan Nydam,’’ The Sun reported yesterday.

Nydam, 17, is a long-term target of Arsenal and they will step up their interest when the January window opens. Wenger believes the teenager will be the next youngster to make the step up to the Premier League after signing Rob Holding from Bolton.

He is ready to pay £2 million for the youngster, who was tracked playing for the youth teams at Portman Road and has now broken into the senior team. The central midfielder has 18 months left on his current deal and his contract situation has alerted Arsenal to swoop quickly to land him.

And he could push for a first-team squad place or get loaned out for experience once a deal gets done. Nydam was born in Zimbabwe but has played for the England youth teams and has been tipped for the top.

Wenger has a history of plucking players away from the top-flight, including his famous swoop for Theo Walcott while at Southampton. Cohen Bramall, currently on loan at Birmingham, arrived from non-league Hednesford Town earlier this year.

And Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud started in the lower leagues in France before making the step up and then joining Wenger. The herald