Alex Iwobi on the verge of new five-year deal at Arsenal

The 19-year-old academy product has established himself in Arsene Wenger's side during the second half of the season

Mark Critchley
Tuesday 05 April 2016 02:44 EDT
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(Getty)

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Alex Iwobi is on the verge of agreeing a new five-year deal with Arsenal.

The 19-year-old academy product’s renewed contract, set to keep him at the club until 2021, is expected to be worth in the region of £30,000-a-week.

Iwobi signed his current deal as recently as last October, but will receive improved terms for the second time this season after establishing himself in Arsene Wenger’s first team.

Iwobi has started each of the club’s last five games and scored his first Arsenal goal during a man-of-the-match performance in the recent 2-0 victory at Everton.

The Nigeria international, who made his debut for the Super Eagles against Egypt last month, scored again in the 4-0 league win over Watford last weekend.

Wenger praised Iwobi following Saturday’s win, hailing his performance as a ‘special’ one which was appreciated by the Emirates’ home support.

"The fans have seen many good players over the years and they know straight away when a player has something special, so they acknowledge that," he said.

"You cannot cheat people. They've seen how quickly he's improved and how well he's played. It's surprising how quickly he has integrated into our game.

"He's worked with us since the start of the season and he has grown, gained confidence and when he came in he had an impact straight away. I didn't expect that level of efficiency or impact on the scoresheet."

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