Arsenal Chasing Villa Prodigy Dubbed the New Wilshere - Report

Arsenal are reportedly keen on securing the services of Aston Villa prodigy Dan Crowley.

The 15-year-old midfielder, who has been dubbed "the new Jack Wilshere", has been one of the standout performers at the Villans' academy and England U17 squad of late, and has been tipped for greatness.

Crowley could leave Villa Park if a suitor offers him a lucrative deal, according to the Mirror, leaving Villa with just a small compensation fee for their efforts in the development of the player so far.

The report claims Manchester City are also monitoring the midfielder's situation but the Gunners are understood to be confident of tempting the youngster to north London.

Crowley was first called up for the England U16 squad in 2011 for the game against Northern Ireland and the player has so far made 13 appearances for the U16 and U17 and sides.

Arteta Backs NextGen Stars

Meanwhile Mikel Arteta feels playing at the Emirates will be a special experience for Arsenal's NextGen Series squad. The Gunners face CSKA Moscow in the quarter-finals of the European youth competition on Monday.

"If they can get a good crowd and people are supportive of the young lads, for them it's going to be a very good experience. Playing for a club like Arsenal and in that stadium doesn't happen every day so they will be very lucky if that's the case. It's something to enjoy. In a competition like that, they can see how good they are compared to the other teams in Europe," the Spaniard said.

Arteta claims the current Gunners' academy can boast several promising players and also stated that some of them would develop into future first-teamers.

"We've got some good players coming up. I don't want to say any names because you underestimate the others maybe. In my head, there are three or four players that will become very important players for this club," the midfielder said.