A Montreal Impact youngster is attracting the attention of several of Europe’s biggest clubs, as ESPN FC reported on Tuesday that Impact academy product and FC Montreal midfielder Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla is being tracked by Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea, among others.
Tabla, 17, joined Montreal’s academy in August 2012 and signed with FC Montreal, the Impact’s USL club, in November.
The winger was born in the Ivory Coast, but moved to Canada at a young age and has represented the country on several youth levels. He earned Canadian Under-17 Player of the Year honors in 2014 at the age of 15 and was part of the Canadian U-20 team that beat the England U-20s 2-1 last month.
ESPNFC reported that several Premier League clubs have inquired about bringing Tabla to England for a trial. He’s played in one of FC Montreal’s three matches this season, going the full 90 and scoring the team’s only goal of the year thus far in a 2-1 loss to Toronto FC II on April 9.
