Although yesterday it looked like a sure thing that Arsenal's resident American Gedion Zelalem was headed to Rangers for the year, as today opens the deal's been somewhat thrown into doubt. Zelalem and his father reportedly visited Rangers yesterday to tour the stadium and training facilities, and meet with manager Mark Warburton to try to seal the deal.
But the second division in Scotland isn't exactly the highest of quality, and with interest coming from Fulham, Birmingham City, and Charlton in the Championship, Zelalem may end up preferring the tougher test of his progress in development. Warburton's pitch for Rangers is pressure – performing for one of Britain's most famous clubs in front of the 50,000 fans that fill Ibrox Stadium on a weekly basis would be a closer approximation of what life in Arsenal's first team is like.
But according to Steven Goff, the Washington Post's resident Zelalem expert, Scotland is still the most likely landing place.
Gedion Zelalem loan status: "Many options, but he likes Rangers," said one Insider contact. #rfc #afc #usmnt
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) August 19, 2015
The Rangers move has Arsène Wenger's backing, but it appears the decision is Gedion's to make.