It did not take long for George Lewis to convince Arsenal to hand him a professional contract.
Two days into a two week trial earlier this year senior staff at the Hale End academy had come to the conclusion that the 20-year-old was worthy of a professional contract and a role in the Under-23s at the very least. From there, who knows what might happen but it is a gamble worth taking.
Had Lewis not been a success on a trial that ended with him working alongside the first team then he what would Arsenal have lost beyond the cost of flying him to London? Even now the professional contract he has signed could end up being small change if he fulfils the promise that Per Mertesacker et al saw in him.
Those who know him well believe he could compete for a first team berth within his first two years at the club and he is similarly optimistic about his prospects. "What I hope to achieve is, of course, to play for the first team at Arsenal and get as many appearances and goals and assists as possible," he said.
Lewis' exploits in the lower leagues of Norwegian football had not exactly caught their eye but after being offered the chance to take him on trial Arsenal staff watched what clips were available of him on scouting platforms and agreed, after some debate, that he was at least worthy of giving the opportunity.
A few impressive days into that spell Arsenal were prepared to take the plunge and commit to him in the long-term.
The word proactive echoes from those who know Arsenal's youth recruitment best, the sense now is that they are not only watching the development of their own talent but aggressively pursuing those who might have fallen through the cracks elsewhere or gone unspotted by others.
It is something of a contrast to the way Arsenal went about their business in previous years. Players around the age of 18 were recruited but by and large with a view to them making a relatively immediate impact on the first team. Cohen Bramall is a notable exception but even Gabriel Martinelli's planned spell with the Under-23s was only ever viewed as being one that would last months. In the end it wasn't even that long.
For the most part Arsenal were not looking to recruit players of Lewis' age for the academy. When the best young prospects did become available others often beat them to the punch.
That was certainly how technical director Edu and academy chief Mertesacker viewed things. They felt that youth recruitment was too slow, had too many layers and too much input from too many voices. A more lean organisation was required, hence the departure of seven scouts and head of youth recruitment Steve Morrow last year.
It was a decision greeted with much uproar and it may yet prove to have been the wrong one. Effectively judging the work of academy chiefs can take even longer than those in first team roles. Results are not the priority but development and progress. Only when a club has gone through several age cycles will it be clear how well they are building the next generation of stars.
At least with their current batch of signings, older as they are, it will be clearer sooner whether Arsenal's eye for talent is still there.
Lewis has been joined by Tim Akinola, released by Huddersfield Town months ago, a young midfielder who has the pace to function as a true box-to-box option. Unlike his fellow new arrival he did not even require a trial, Arsenal's academy recruitment team considering him worth the gamble.
It was reported by The Athletic that former Tottenham youngster Jonathan Dizenyi would be joining the youth influx after his release from their north London rivals. football.london understands that Arsenal are offering more trials to players who have departed Football League clubs, where youth budgets are being hard hit by COVID, in a bid to spot more talent.
The logic for such moves is simple: each a low cost gamble that could bring with it sizeable rewards. If one of the players above breaks into the Arsenal team then it will have been for minimal costs. Even if they only prove themselves to be a Premier League calibre player then it is perhaps an eight figure sum the Gunners will receive. Two or three fund the next major signing whilst even those don't quite hit the grade ought to net a decent transfer fee.
In Lewis' case there is hope that he is more than likely to be a hit. Sources close to the academy said he was the best player on the pitch during the sessions he was involved in. Fulfil that promise and he will go some way to justifying Arsenal's more aggressive approach to youth recruitment.
