Chris Wheatley reveals former Arsenal scout has helped Man City summer transfer

Manchester City rising star Luke Mbete is ready for his first spell away from English football as he is set to join Dutch club Den Bosch on a loan deal, according to a transfer update from Chris Wheatley.

The 19-year-old has been rising through the ranks with the Citizens and spent last season on loan with two different clubs to help boost his portfolio of senior first team action. Mbete joined Huddersfield Town for the first half of the 2022/23 Championship season, before being sent back out in January to complete the campaign with Bolton Wanderers in League One.

The centre-back is now set for another loan stint as he gains experience in his mission to potentially establish himself as an option under Pep Guardiola. Mbete has made three appearances for the City first team so far and his debut was certainly one to remember. He started in the Carabao Cup against Wymcombe in 2021 and contributed an assist in their 6-1 win.

Former Arsenal head of emerging talent Yousuf Sajjad has played a role in the deal, having joined Den Bosch last year to take on a senior technical director’s role.

During his time at the Emirates, Sajjad helped unearth exciting young talent like Lino Sousa, Reuell Walters and Salah Oulad M’hand. The 30-year-old, who is officially the youngest person to hold his new role in the EU, also worked with Chelsea and was involved in the scouting of Billy Gilmour and Ethan Ampadu among others.

It’s highly likely that his work with Den Bosch and Man City over Mbete’s deal won’t be his last involvement in bringing rising English talent over to the Eerste Divisie outfit. He has also helped orchestrate the signing of Gedion Zelalem, Jakub Ojrzynski and Dennis Gyamfi to the Dutch outfit in recent months.