Max Dowman is widely viewed as having the tools to become the standout English talent of his generation — and Arsenal could now be closing in on another teenager spoken about in similarly glowing terms.
Leicester prospect Jeremy Monga, who is six months older than Dowman, has already built far more senior experience, with three times as many first-team appearances. Those who have worked with him at the Foxes believe his ceiling is every bit as high as the Arsenal youngster’s, and if Arsenal succeed in their pursuit, the pair could soon be playing together.
Following their relegation to League One, Leicester accept that Monga may have to be sold, but they are intent on securing full value. Daily Mail Sport understands the club will seek as much as £10million for the 16-year-old winger, a right-footer who is most effective cutting in from the left.
Once Monga signs professional terms, Leicester will be in a position to set a transfer fee. The situation mirrors Jude Bellingham’s at Birmingham City, where he signed his first professional contract in July 2020 before completing a move to Borussia Dortmund soon after in a deal worth about £25million.
If everything unfolds as expected, Leicester will feel they have handled the situation smartly. Had Monga left a year earlier for clubs such as Manchester City, Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain, the compensation would instead have been decided by a tribunal.
Just relegated to League One, Leicester know they are likely to have to sell their young winger Jeremy Monga, 16, but they are determined not to do so on the cheap
The winger is right-footed but usually plays off the left wing and cuts inside
Provided Monga remains a Leicester player on his birthday, as is anticipated, the club will retain control over the terms of any deal.
If Arsenal win this race, they will leave several rivals disappointed. So why the fuss? In 1,193 minutes at senior level, Monga has one goal and two assists. For comparison, Dowman has one of each in 477 minutes. But it is always about more than raw statistics.
Sometimes coaches see a body swerve, say, or a sudden acceleration, and their pulse quickens. Steve Cooper knows a thing or two about young players having led England Under 17s to the World Cup in 2017 and was impressed immediately by Monga.
It was Cooper, during his short spell at Leicester, who invited Monga, direct, tricky and quick, to join the first-team squad and took him to Old Trafford for a Carabao Cup tie in October 2024. Monga made his debut in the Premier League aged 15 years and 271 days and did not look out of place. Where his education allowed, he had been training with the first team for months before that.
‘(His talent’s been noticed) by the whole world,’ said then-Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy in January 2025. ‘That’s why we have him with the first team where possible. I want him to be part of the long-term future of the club.’
Being ‘the wonderkid’ at a place like Leicester is double-edged, though. When a club of this level have a jewel on their hands, it is tempting to treat them differently from other youngsters. If they transgress, on or off the field, are they always subjected to the same disciplinary measures as a player of lesser ability?
Will academy coaches really read the riot act to their best prospects when they know these players could walk away within a week, potentially costing the club millions of pounds? It is a difficult balancing act.
In Monga’s defence, few players his age have passed the 1,000-minute barrier in senior football, and he has never appeared out of his depth in the first team. Generational talent, though? That label should not be applied lightly.
‘(His talent’s been noticed) by the whole world,’ said then-Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy in January 2025 about Monga
Some observers believe Monga would do better to stay at Leicester and try to help them out of League One
Some believe Monga has yet to develop that bloody-mindedness that allows a winger to continue running at his full back, even if he has lost the ball or taken a hefty whack.
‘If I’m playing against him, I’m kicking him into Row Z,’ one former EFL defender tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘If he gets tackled the first time he takes on a full back, he doesn’t seem to want to try it again.’
Those same observers believe Monga would do better to stay at Leicester and try to help them out of League One. They do not believe he is ready to play for a top club like Arsenal and could therefore risk losing his way in their Under-21 side. Arsenal’s current left-wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard do not need to fret just yet.
‘He might be volleyed all over the place in League One but it would make him tougher,’ says one experienced scout.
Leicester’s financial status means it is unlikely Monga will stay. Consecutive relegations have hit hard and the Foxes were already in a precarious position. Homegrown players are a lifesaver for the balance sheet and Leicester need to cash in.
Would Arsenal allow him to rejoin the Foxes on loan? That may be the smartest move. That way, the Gunners could monitor his development while ensuring Monga continues to gather first-team experience in a familiar environment.
For all the mistakes Leicester have made in recent years, and there have been far too many, they should be proud of their academy, and Monga’s progress is a feather in the cap for their legendary academy scout Bill Wall.
Wall discovered Monga and, cleverly, Leicester ensure these scouts stay in contact with youngsters throughout their pathway. Unlike many academies, Leicester rarely recruit Under-16 players from different parts of the country. Not only do such deals require compensation, Leicester feel they might dilute the strong local feel they have sought to create at their £95m base in the Leicestershire countryside.
Arsenal’s current left-winger Leandro Trossard may not need to fret about his place just yet
Monga playing for England Under 19s against the Netherlands in 2025
Of the nine academy players in the squad for Leicester’s Carabao Cup match at Huddersfield in August 2025, all but goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk and defender Bade Aluko had been with the club since Under-9 level.
Four of them – Will Alves, Hamza Choudhury, Luke Thomas and Louis Page – are from the Leicester area.
These are the foundations for Leicester to build on. Even if Monga’s peers are not as talented as he is, Leicester should still have a local core around which to construct next season’s promotion campaign, and the club’s wider recovery.
If Monga moves to Arsenal, it will prove their academy structure is sound. Now is the time to make proper use of it.
