Arsenal Tracking Emanuele Lulli as Roma Wonderkid Draws Chelsea and Liverpool Interest
Arsenal’s recruitment model has consistently left room for emerging talent, and the latest name to surface is Roma full-back Emanuele Lulli. According to TeamTalk, the Gunners are among several clubs monitoring the 19-year-old, with Chelsea and Liverpool also alerted as interest builds around one of Serie A’s early-season breakout youngsters.
This is the sort of situation Arsenal have shown a willingness to explore under Mikel Arteta, identifying young players before their value escalates beyond reach. Lulli fits that category. He is still at the beginning of his senior career, but there is already a sense that his development is accelerating quickly.
Roma rise puts Lulli in spotlight
Lulli had not made a senior appearance for Roma before this campaign, yet he has quickly been trusted in first-team football and started the club’s opening four Serie A matches. Roma took maximum points from those fixtures, and his emergence has not gone unnoticed. Internally, that kind of early exposure tends to shift a player’s status very quickly, and it is understood Roma are now looking at a contract extension.
He has also stepped into Italy Under-21 level, another marker of how highly he is regarded. For Premier League clubs, that combination of senior minutes, international recognition and visible upside tends to trigger close scrutiny.
Photo: IMAGO
Why Arsenal scouts are watching
Arsenal already have strong options at right-back in Ben White and Jurrien Timber, but squad planning is rarely about the immediate starting XI alone. It is about profile, age curve and long-term evolution. At 19, Lulli represents a different kind of investment, one aimed at development as much as depth.
His background is also revealing. Having begun in midfield, he appears comfortable progressing the ball, carrying it into advanced areas and supporting attacks from wide positions. Last season he delivered two goals and eight assists in 27 games for Roma’s Under-20 side, numbers that underline his attacking instincts.
There is a physical element too. At 6 ft, with pace and a willingness to overlap, he looks built for an intense system. That naturally makes him an intriguing fit for English football, where full-backs are increasingly expected to cover huge ground and contribute at both ends.
Transfer race could intensify
The complication for Arsenal is clear. Chelsea and Liverpool are also credited with interest, and once multiple Premier League clubs are engaged, the landscape can change quickly. Roma, for their part, hold a strong hand if they move decisively on a new deal.
There is also a stylistic comparison in the background. Lulli’s game has prompted reminders of Emmanuel Eboue, another energetic right-sided player whose attacking enthusiasm needed refinement. As Eboue once explained, “I used to get confused and not know when to go forward and when to stay put. But Pat Rice has taught me a lot about defending. He turned me into the player I am. Without him I would have been lost in England.”
That feels relevant here. Lulli’s potential is obvious, but any move to the Premier League would demand coaching, patience and structure. Arsenal’s interest makes sense, and so does the growing competition around him.
Our View
From an Arsenal perspective, this feels exactly like the type of market opportunity the club should be alive to. Not every signing needs to arrive as a ready-made starter. Sometimes the smartest business is spotting a player before everyone agrees on how good he might become.
Lulli sounds like a modern full-back in the truest sense, athletic, front-footed and comfortable affecting games higher up the pitch. That immediately makes him interesting for Arsenal, especially given how much Arteta asks from wide defenders in possession and during rotations. If the club see genuine top-level potential, this is a deal worth pursuing early.
There is also logic in future-proofing the squad. White and Timber are top options, but competition and succession planning matter if Arsenal are to keep pushing at the top end. The key question is pathway. If Lulli comes, he would need minutes, coaching and a clear development plan, not simply a place in a crowded depth chart.
The Eboue comparison is fun, but the bigger point is whether Arsenal can turn raw tools into a complete player. That is where elite coaching makes the difference. If the reports are accurate, this is one to watch closely because it has the feel of a move that could look very clever in two years’ time.