Arsenal to receive compensation as Championship side ‘agree deal’ for released star

Arsenal will receive compensation from the deal of defender Zach Awe, who has agreed to join Southampton ahead of their season in the Championship. The 19-year-old was released by the North London club earlier in the window along with a group of other names, despite some brief uncertainty over whether he would stay at the Emirates or not.

According to journalist Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, the Saints have ‘agreed a deal’ to sign Awe, who is expected to fight for a spot in Russell Martin’s starting 11 next season. He also reports that the deal will involve compensation for Arsenal, due to the defender’s age.

Southampton fought off ‘strong competition’ to sign Awe this summer as they look to put their best foot forward and clinch promotion back to the Premier League as soon as possible. The opportunity will be huge for the player as well, as he struggled to get himself on Mikel Arteta’s radar and work his way into the first team during his time at the Emirates.

Awe has never known a club other than Arsenal in his career so far, having come through the youth systems at the club. Despite his lack of opportunity with Arteta’s senior squad, Awe was still an important asset to the Gunners’ U21s. Last season, he started almost every match across Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy.

But now is the time for him to experience senior football and judging by Southampton’s eagerness to sign him, he is in with a good shot of achieving just that at St Mary’s.

The Saints were relegated to the Championship last season after finishing bottom of the table and several key players have either left or are linked to leave before the new term starts. Awe stands a good chance of establishing himself as a mainstay under new manager Russell Martin.