Arsenal Linked With Benfica Starlet - Here's Why He Should Reject Any Potential Move To The Emirates

Joining a club like Arsenal is an achievement for any player. As a youngster, taking your first steps in the world of professional football, it's one of the best clubs you can join, as Arsene Wenger is an advocate for bleeding fresh blood into his side. Not only will he give you a chance, he's gives you his faith and trust that you can become one of the best players on the planet.

The Mirror are reporting that Arsenal have sent one of their top scouts to create a dossier on Goncalo Guedes of Benfica. A highly-rated, 19-year-old winger who has attracted interest from a whole host of other big clubs in Europe.

However, joining a bigger club in Europe won't be all its cracked up to be for some players and for Guedes going to Arsenal, I feel that it will end in tears for the Portuguese prodigy.

I'm not suggesting for one minute that Guedes doesn't have the talent or ingredients to become a world class player, I'm simply questioning whether it's the right move for him to develop as a player.

He currently plays for Benfica U19's and has thoroughly impressed in the UEFA Youth League; scoring four goals in eight games. His performances haven't gone unnoticed by the Benfica hierarchy and has been earmarked for a few appearances for the first team. Success in those could warrant more and more games. Before he knows what's going on, he's an established member of the Portuguese side.

If he joins Arsenal, that prospect of having his break through season, in the following campaign, will be removed as the Arsenal coaches don't know much about him. They don't know how he'll cope with English football.

The Gunners' current prospect, Serge Gnabry, has earned himself a handful of appearances but that's only because he's excelled in the youth team and is physically ept to deal with the hardship in the Premier League. Gnabry is the current project. Handling more than one is very hard.

If Guedes wants to advance his career, he's better off at Benfica. There's already plenty of youth at Arsenal who are highly-rated and there's no way he'll break into the first team at his age.