re: Zelalem's comments about upcoming Arsenal season:

I'd rather see him go to a mid table side in one of the bigger leagues. Not sure if he could crack the starting 11 anywhere in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, or England but if so all options are obviously better than the MLS. Eridivisie wouldn't be a bad option either. I'd rather see him be challenged by other top flight players, but he can't do that from the bench either

It's important to remember that he's still a very slight and under-developed 18 year old. Against 20 year olds he was getting pushed around a good bit. Against 25-30 year olds in England, it'll be way more prevalent. I think Championship, Netherlands, or low-table France team are likely landing spots if he wants to ensure he is going to play. But MLS is a great shout.

It's likely that he's going to get kicked in any league. Short of adding 10 pounds of muscle he will probably be kicked for a majority of his career. He has no choice but to learn to deal with it. He'll be on another level technically if he goes to MLS so it's extremely important that he doesn't hold on to the ball too long, which he might be prone to do.

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So basically Zelalem is somewhere in between Messi and Neymar.

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I like to think of him as Messi + Neymar.

I'd say if he isn't starting Champions League knockout games by the time he's 21, we should give up on him and move on to the next guy.

Anybody in the U13s with some skill?

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Anybody in the U13s with some skill?

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How old is Lederman?

Is this Lederman stuff true?

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In the fallout, the focus has been almost entirely on Barcelona’s inability to sign players, but overlooked is the fact that, since the CAS rejected the appeal, several young international players have been left unable to play competitive football. Those signed illegally have been able to train, but they aren’t allowed take part in competitive games.

Lederman is among them. As things stand, he’ll be unable to pull on a blaugrana jersey until May 2018. Players from countries within the European Union can resume playing at 16 years old, but as Lederman’s from the United States, he will have to wait until his 18th birthday to be eligible.

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LINK

He is obviously still there, but not being able to play competitively would suck.

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I'd rather see him go to a mid table side in one of the bigger leagues. Not sure if he could crack the starting 11 anywhere in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, or England but if so all options are obviously better than the MLS. Eridivisie wouldn't be a bad option either. I'd rather see him be challenged by other top flight players, but he can't do that from the bench either

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I wouldn't him playing in the Championship as a lot of that league relies on physicality. He needs to go somewhere where he can continue developing his skills as a passer without getting chopped down all game.

Championship could be the perfect opportunity for Zelalem. If he balls out, then he almost assures getting a role in the Prem the following year yet the Championship still exposes him to quality play.