Arsenal sent Konstantinos Karetsas transfer warning as Gunners 'close' to £38m wonderkid deal

Arsenal making a move for Genk wonderkid Konstantinos Karetsas would make little sense while Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman are at the club, Charles Watts has told Sports Mole.

A report emerged from the Athens-Macedonian News Agency last week claiming that Arsenal were closing in on the signing of the versatile 17-year-old attacker, who would cost Mikel Arteta's side around £38m.

However, while Watts has acknowledged that Arsenal are indeed looking at the 2007-born phenom, he warned Gooners to take such reports with a pinch of salt and does not believe that a transfer is as close as it may appear.

“I think it caught everyone by surprise," Watts said. "Not so much the link but the strength of the reporting - advanced talks about to happen - and certainly from following up on that story, that's not the sense that I have got at all. I think there is interest there, but all top clubs across Europe there is interest in him because of what he's been doing.

“I'd never really heard of him until watching Greece destroy Scotland and he was front and centre of that. When you're as talented as he is at that age, you can have all the top clubs looking at you like Arsenal, so I think there is clearly interest there but there'll be a lot of interest from other clubs as well.

“I've certainly not got the impression from conversations I've had that anything is as majorly advanced as that report made it out to be, so I'd take that with a little pinch of salt. Yes, it might end up happening, but I don't think it's going to happen tomorrow if we put it that way and I certainly don't think it will happen at the price that was being quoted.”

Formerly of the Anderlecht youth system, Karetsas has burst onto the scene with Genk and has already represented the Belgian giants on 43 occasions, contributing three goals and five assists in all tournaments.

Watts: 'Immediate red flags with Karetsas Arsenal move'

Despite being born in Belgium, the embryonic playmaker represents Greece at international level and especially caught the eye during March's UEFA Nations League playoffs.

Karetsas scored his country's second goal in a 3-0 playoff second-leg win over Scotland, which sealed a 3-1 aggregate triumph and ensured that Greece would compete in League A during the next campaign.

However, Arsenal already have two teenage playmakers coming through in 18-year-old Ethan Nwaneri and 15-year-old Max Dowman, the latter of whom will be part of the first-team setup next season, which stood out to Watts as a reason why a potential deal for Karetsas would make little sense.

“That was one of the immediate red flags I got," he added. "When you looked at him and looked exactly where he played, you've already got Ethan Nwaneri who's 18, this kid's 17 and then you've got 15 soon to be 16-year-old Max Dowman. From a squad building point of view, it just looked odd and strange, which again is why I'm not really putting too much attention on it yet.

“It just wouldn't make much sense when we're already trying to work out exactly how we get Ethan the meaningful minutes he needs, and then we know that Max Dowman is going to be promoted to the first team next season. We're not expecting him to get loads of minutes but some minutes, so why would you bring in a player a year older than him, who plays the exact same position, when you've already got Ethan?

“Obviously you want the best talent so you've got to be looking at it and trying to work out if it's doable, but ultimately I'd be surprised if this one happens.”

Does Karetsas interest suggest Nwaneri, Dowman contract concerns?

At the same time, however, Nwaneri and Dowman are two players' whose futures are not set in stone, as Arsenal are at risk of losing the former for nothing when his current deal expires in 2026.

The Gunners are engaged in contract talks with Nwaneri's representatives, but they have been warned that they may find it more challenging to tie down the Premier League's youngest-ever player than fellow academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Meanwhile, Dowman cannot sign a professional contract until his 17th birthday in December 2026; until then Arsenal will be at risk of seeing 'the next Kaka' poached by a rival academy, as was the case with Chido Obi and Manchester United.

Asked if Arsenal's proposed move for Karetsas could be the Gunners future-proofing themselves in case of one or both of Dowman or Nwaneri leaving, Watts added: “Maybe, I really hope that is not the case and both of them end up signing because it'll be a real blow to Arsenal to lose one let alone both.

"Maybe you do have to future-proof and that is a reason why they are keeping tabs on the situation, but I expect both to stay. It's mad when you say that Dowman can't sign a pro contract until December of next year. It shows just how young he still is and how long we're going to have to endure all the talk about clubs coming in and luring him away.

"But I'd hope by the end of this summer we'll certainly know when it comes to Ethan Nwaneri. Both of those are a slight concern but I would hope that both get done.”

Karetsas remains under contract at Genk for another two seasons, and if he does head to North London, it is understood that he would spend the 2025-26 campaign back on loan with the Belgian side before being integrated into the Arsenal first team.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion about Arsenal's interest in Karetsas

Written by
Ben Knapton