Arsenal weighing up fresh transfer move for Stoke City player | OneFootball

The Gunners reportedly enquired about Potters youngster Jaden Dixon on Deadline Day

Premier League giants Arsenal made an approach to sign young Stoke City defender Jaden Dixon on Deadline Day, and they remain interested in a deal after nothing materialised last week.

17-year-old Dixon has enjoyed a rapid rise to become a regular fixture in Stoke's senior squad over the last 12 months, after he joined the club from Tottenham Hotspur's academy in 2023, then made the senior bench for the first time at Leicester City last October.

The London-born defender can play at both centre-back and right-back, and he began to regularly train with the first-team midway through last season, before he signed his first professional contract for the club last summer.

He has stepped up even further this term to make his first professional appearances in the EFL Cup and has even featured from the bench in the Championship on numerous occasions, so seemingly caught the eye of the Gunners ahead of their enquiry late in the recent winter window.

Stoke City youngster Jaden Dixon tracked by Arsenal

Football Insider have today reported that Arsenal made an enquiry for Stoke talent Dixon on transfer Deadline Day last week, and they are continuing to monitor his availability as they seek to add young defensive reinforcements following Ayden Heaven’s departure to Manchester United.

Whether the Potters were open to allowing Dixon to leave so late in the window remains to be seen, but any move by the Gunners would likely have had to have been for a relatively sizeable fee, given the 17-year-old's potential that has seen him break through at the bet365 Stadium this season.

Alongside his exploits with Stoke, Dixon has also been capped internationally by England at both under-17 and under-18 level, and was even included in the former team's squad for the 2024 UEFA European under-17 Championships.

Dixon has a better pathway to regular football with Stoke than he would at Arsenal

Stoke have a good recent track record of developing young centre-back talents signed from different youth teams, with the likes of Nathan Collins and Harry Souttar both signed from other clubs and given a pathway into the Potters first-team and beyond in recent years.

17-year-old Dixon wants to follow that same path, and it was a surprise move by Spurs to let him leave so early in his development despite being so highly-rated, and he has been given ample opportunities at senior level with the Potters so far to justify his move.

He featured in all but three Premier League 2 matches for the club’s u-21s last season, and even captained the side during their final fixture of the campaign. The fact he signed a three-year professional contract on his 17th birthday last May was a clear sign that he is happy with his own progress, and that the Potters want him to stick around for the future.

Stoke have had a turbulent season as a club so far this term, but Dixon has been one of the bright lights, and while he impressed in cup starts against Carlisle United, Fleetwood Town, Middlesbrough and Southampton, he has made just two Championship appearances and not featured for the senior team since late October.

With that said, the Potters are not currently blessed with a wealth of stand-out centre-backs at first-team level, so there is no reason why he cannot force his way into a regular spot in the senior side very soon. He certainly stands a better chance in ST4 than he would with Arsenal, who boast one of the best defences in European football and are competing for Premier League and Champions League trophies every year.