What Arsenal 'world class' transfer target said when he met Chelsea legend Eden Hazard
Takefusa Kubo, one of Arsenal's potential transfer targets, once admitted to Eden Hazard that he watched videos of him before matches.
Kubo spent a small amount of time with Hazard when they both joined Real Madrid in the same year. The 23-year-old Japanese winger joined for £1.78m from FC Tokyo, whereas Hazard joined from Chelsea for a whopping £150m.
The two players were at very different stages of their careers. This was made very clear as Kubo admitted to Hazard on Real Madrid TV: "I watch your videos before my matches!" Hazard could do nothing but laugh.
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The 23-year-old technically joined Madrid's U-19 squad, but he did feature on some first-team pre-season matches. After four loan spells at various Spanish clubs, Real Sociedad bought the Japanese international for just over £5m.
Now, Kubo's market value sits at £33m. This is because he has become a consistent star at Sociedad. Since he joined in 2022, the Japanese forward has scored 20 goals in all competitions. Former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez once called Kubo 'world-class' and 'top level.'
Now, almost six years after he awkwardly revealed to Hazard that he watches videos of him, Kubo could find himself in London with Arsenal.
It's been made clear that Mikel Arteta is wanting to bolster his attacking unit. Now with Bukayo Saka out and Gabriel Jesus unable to find consistent performances, a player like Kubo could fit the bill.
It's also always a bonus to have someone you know already at a club when a youngster makes a big international move. For Kubo, that would be Japanese teammate Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Admittedly, it could be tricky for Arsenal to pick the Japanese winger up in January. Big player moves like this are often made in the summer following the conclusion of both the Premier League and La Liga. Also, other Premier League sides like Tottenham and Liverpool are said to be interested in the winger as well.
