Gedion Zelalem has recently expressed his desire to one day become the best footballer in the world and be likened to Real Madrid and France legend Zinedine Zidane. The United States U20 midfielder who is of German and Ethiopian descent is highly regarded at Arsenal and has previously been tipped to eventually break into the first team.
Gavin Berry, writing for The Daily Record, reports that the young Gunner will use his upcoming loan move to Rangers as another step on his journey to success: “My dream is to become the best player in the world and the player I’d love to be like is Zidane,” said Zelalem.
“I don’t play like anyone, I have a unique style of play.
“It’s a dream come true to play for Arsenal.”
Zelalem also added that making his debut for the Gunners in the FA Cup was a dream come true and only further added to his desire to become a regular in the Arsenal team: “My plan to get to the first team is to work very hard and keep improving every day.
“My best moment was making my debut against Coventry because as a little boy I always watched the FA Cup and always wanted to play there.”
Former Arsenal youth coach Terry Burton was also full of praise for the young Gunner, claiming that although he isn’t the biggest of players, he seems to flow through a game with a characteristic grace and elegance that few other players possess:“Gedion’s very slight, there’s not a lot of him.
“He reminds me a bit of Paul Davis at Arsenal. He was left-footed but very elegant, he would play it and get it back.
“A continuity type player and Gedion, although right footed, is similar to him.”
Burton moved on to suggest that although the Scottish League will prove a challenge for Zelalem because he will be faced with a more physical style of play, he should learn from his time at Rangers so that he can adapt to different game situations; an opportunity which wouldn’t necessarily be available in youth fixtures: “He’ll have to come to terms with a lot of things but that’s what you have to do if you’re going to be a top footballer.
“Part of the learning process of going to Rangers will be adapting to the physical side of the game.
“That’s why you go on loan, to learn things you can’t playing academy football.”
There is no doubt that Zelalem is a technically gifted player – and so the young American midfielder will be hoping to make the most of his time in Scotland, so that he can impress manager Arsene Wenger and give him a reason to play in the Arsenal team.
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