Arsenal had the next Eden Hazard but now he’s leaving for pennies
Arsenal's Hale End academy has been the source of great pride for the Gunners in recent years.
It was an illustrious academy anyway, one that brought through Jack Wilshere and helped nurture the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin.
Yet, more recently, it has produced superstar talent Bukayo Saka, now a two-time England player of the year winner and a Ballon d'Or nominee for the first time.
Emile Smith Rowe, although out of the picture at the moment, is another to have graced Mikel Arteta's first team expertly. Eddie Nketiah is now making a name for himself too, among Gareth Southgate's England set-up for the very first time.
There's even the likes of Folarin Balogun, who has just netted the club a cool £35m after trading north London for the glamour of Monaco.
But for those who don't make it, where do they end up? Well, a certain Marcelo Flores, an unknown name to some, is also about to make a move away. Unlike Balogun, however, the club won't be raking in a tremendous fee for the Mexican's services.
Who is Marcelo Flores?
Flores is a 19-year-old attacking midfielder or winger who has been with Arsenal since 2019 after moving from Ipswich Town's youth academy.
Standing at 5 foot 7, the Canadian-born Mexico international is a lively figure but has never quite been able to make the grade since moving to the club.
Hopes were high for a talent who was looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow Mexican Carlos Vela by making a first-team appearance. That, however, never came for the teenager who now sees his future away from the English capital.
Capped three times at international level, there is still plenty of potential waiting to be unlocked in the youngster but with such a strong attacking pecking order at Arteta's disposal, an opportunity to play looked extremely unlikely.
How many goals has Marcelo Flores scored for Arsenal?
Flores' time with Arsenal's youth team saw him produce terrific moments of creativity and goal-scoring, with the attacker finding the net 15 times in 48 outings across U18 and U21 level, also chipping in with six assists.
That isn't prolific by any means but his ability to produce ingenious moments out of nothing made him stand above many of his peers in the academy.
A loan move at Real Oviedo hoped to give him some much-needed experience at first team level last season, but his spell with the Spanish second division side didn't go according to plan.
Flores returned to England this summer having failed to score across 15 appearances, with just one assist being registered.
Such form was disappointing for a young individual who was raved about when he was in the infancy of his Arsenal career.
Indeed, Flores was named among the Guardian's best 60 young talents in the world in 2020, with journalist Tom Marshall waxing lyrical.
"A versatile attacking midfielder, Flores compares his game to Philippe Coutinho and Eden Hazard," the writer noted in the player's profile.
Also among that list three years ago was Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich fame, Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto and PSG's Xavi Simons. Fine company indeed.
Where is Marcelo Flores now?
Reports on Thursday morning indicate that the Mexican is now permanently on his way out of Arsenal after four years in the academy.
Indeed, Marca reports via other sources that he is set to join Tigres in Mexico, a move that has been described as one that will cost a 'very low price'.
Edu and co could never have expected to rake in a huge fee to the tune of Balogun's, but either way, it's likely they have made a profit.
After all, the Gunners would have signed the forward on a free transfer from Ipswich all those years ago. It marks smart business, therefore, even if his current deal wasn't expected to conclude until 2025.
Flores will likely live without regret but there must be something in him that wishes he lived up to the billing he previously received. Indeed, it's likely the Hazard and Coutinho inside him will never be truly unlocked.