Lino Sousa in line to be given chance after Arsenal make transfer decision on left-back

While Arsenal fans had their sights set on high profile moves for Dusan Vlahovic and Arthur, one January signing that went under the radar was that of Lino Sousa from West Brom. The youngster arrived in North London as one of the most highly rated left backs in England and has so far done a good job of living up to that hype.

In a short space of time he has broken in to the under-23 side, catching the eye with two goals in four appearances, including one strike in a Premier League 2 clash against Manchester City at the Emirates. At international level meanwhile he has been rewarded for his displays at Arsenal with the chance to captain the England under-17s in their match with the USA this month.

His performances have been so impressive that he is now being touted to take over as the starting left back next season after the Gunners made the decision to let Spanish youth international Joel Lopez leave this summer. When looking at this lengthy list of accomplishments it's remarkable to note that Sousa is still only 17 years of age. Despite having achieved so much in such a short space of time though, his time with Arsenal has been the culmination of a long journey.

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It began when he was just five-years-old and living in Portugal. Sousa idolised his older cousin who was a futsal player for Benfica, and keen to follow in his footsteps, he began doing the same and getting an early taste for the vibrant attacking flare that is still visible in his game today.

However, it was not until much later that a stroke of luck would see Sousa swap futsal's hard indoor surface for the grassy turf of a football pitch. His family moved from Lisbon to