Arsenal's Future on the Left Wing: Jeremy Monga
Arsenal see a lot of their future on the left wing. Right now, a 16-year-old at Leicester City is at the centre of that vision.
Jeremy Monga, a teenager who only broke into the Premier League in 2024/25 and then became a regular in a Leicester side that slid out of the Championship, is high on Arsenal’s list this summer. The club are working to secure a deal, with the fee expected to land between £10million and £15million.
For a player with just 37 senior appearances, that is serious money. For those who have watched him closely, it is also a serious opportunity.
A street footballer in a professional arena
Josh Holland, Leicester City correspondent for LeicestershireLive and the Leicester Mercury, has seen Monga’s rise at close quarters. His description strips away any doubt about the winger’s talent.
“Monga plays football at a professional standard, like he is playing in the street,” Holland said. “A remarkable ball-carrier who is obsessed with beating his man and driving forward.”
That is the core of the appeal. Arsenal already have a cluster of gifted youngsters – Max Dowman, Marli Salmon, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly – pushing into senior contention. They have technique, vision, and courage on the ball. What they lack, especially on the left flank, is a natural wide talent of Monga’s profile coming through the age groups.
His game is built on that classic winger’s instinct. Take the ball high and wide, isolate the full-back, then go to work.
“His best position has been off the left, with him taking high/wide positions to collect the ball by the touch line and then drive inwards,” Holland explained. “He’s strong on both feet and has incredible agility.”
At Leicester, those qualities flickered rather than burned. The club, battling and ultimately failing to stay in the Championship, did not lean on him as heavily as some expected.
“Leicester didn’t use him anywhere near as much as they should have last season in the Championship,” Holland said. “They’re different players, but there are big similarities between Monga and Max Dowman.”
That comparison will not be lost on Arsenal. Dowman’s emergence in north London has shown Mikel Arteta is willing to trust teenagers if their talent demands it.
Generational flashes, limited minutes
When Monga did get his chance at Leicester, the impact was immediate.
“When he came into the first team at the end of the 2024/25 Premier League season, he was turning defenders inside out, and it genuinely felt like City had a generational talent,” Holland recalled.
Those are heavy words, but they capture the buzz around the youngster. Defenders struggled to stay on their feet; fans suddenly had a reason to watch a doomed campaign. It felt like the start of something.
Then the minutes dipped. For a player that electric, that always raises questions.
“His drop in expected minutes was a concern, and there were some doubts over his attitude,” Holland admitted. “But I’m in the camp that he’s just a 16-year-old taking the pressure in his stride, and he’s not an emotional figure.”
This is where Arsenal come in. The club are actively searching for a wide left player to cover any departures, with Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa identified as the main first-team target. That is the here and now. Monga, by contrast, is about what comes next.
Holland does not expect an instant breakthrough in north London.
“I don’t expect him to feature for Arsenal anytime soon. Give him one more season, and I think he’d be ready to be a key member of Mikel Arteta’s side.”
Arteta’s recent handling of Dowman underlines the pathway. If you are good enough, the door is not locked. But you must be ready.
A fee Leicester can’t ignore
The numbers around Monga are as striking as his dribbling. Sixteen years old. Thirty-seven senior games. A price tag of £10m-£15m. A tribunal may yet be required to pin down the final figure, depending on how the move is structured, but the range is clear.
For a club just relegated to League One, that sort of offer bites hard.
“I’m split on this. £10m-£15m is a decent fee for a 16-year-old,” Holland said. “Even more so when you consider he’s only played 37 times at senior level.
“But on the flip side. 12 months ago, the thought of him leaving for that seemed unrealistic. That’s the result of Leicester’s relegation to League One.
“As a third-tier outfit, City can’t turn their nose up at that sort of fee.”
That is the brutal reality. Twelve months ago, Leicester could dream of building a side around a fearless young winger who played like he was still on the cage pitches. Relegation has turned that dream into a balance-sheet decision.
For Arsenal, it is a chance to move early on a profile they lack in their academy pipeline. For Leicester, it is the price of falling.
If Monga does end up in north London, the question will not be whether he is worth the gamble. It will be how long Arsenal can keep a player like that waiting in the wings.
