Arsenal: Who is Victor Valdepenas? Real Madrid's Riccardo Calafiori-esque wonderkid linked with Gunners transfer

Grass is green, water is wet, Arsenal are being linked with another left-back.

Despite already having Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly and, to an extent, Jurrien Timber as options on the left-hand side of the backline, Mikel Arteta has reportedly taken a liking to Real Madrid's Victor Valdepenas Talavera.

It has been claimed that Arsenal are keen to complete a deal for the teenage defender, but Real Madrid are under no pressure to sell on the cheap thanks to his long-running contract until 2029.

The Arteta pull is a powerful one, though, and here, Sports Mole provides the lowdown on Valdepenas amid links with a switch to the red half of North London.

Victor Valdepenas: The story so far

Formerly of the Rayo Vallecano youth network, Valdepenas was picked up by Real Madrid as an 11-year-old in 2018, before being moved on to Leganes just two years later.

However, another two years passed and Valdepenas was back at the Bernabeu, and he has risen through the Blancos academy ranks since rejoining the 15-time European champions in 2022.

The defender was promoted to the club's Castilla outfit last January and has been a regular for the youth team in this season's Primera Federacion - the third tier of Spanish football.

Valdepenas has registered two goals and one assist in 19 appearances for the Castilla side in the 2025-26 campaign, one of which came against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League Under-21 International Cup, when Alvaro Arbeloa's men claimed a 1-0 victory.

Prior to Arbeloa's promotion and Xabi Alonso's dismissal, the 19-year-old made his first-team debut as a starter in December's 2-1 La Liga win over Alaves, completing 78 minutes of the contest before being replaced by Dean Huijsen.

Valdepenas's overall performance drew praise - he won three tackles and completed 94% of his passes - but the defender tried to play the offside trap for Alaves' equaliser and failed thanks to Antonio Rudiger's placement, allowing Carlos Vicente to burst through and score.

Alonso highlighted Valdepenas's "mistake" in his post-game press conference before reportedly offering an apology to the young player, having recognised that his public comments could have been harmful.

Internationally, Valdepenas has made five appearances for the Spain Under-19 team, but he missed last summer's European Championships as La Roja lost to the Netherlands in the final.

Victor Valdepenas style of play

The ideal modern-day defender, Valdepenas is comfortable at left-back or in the heart of defence and has been deployed in both roles in almost equal measure for the Castilla team in 2025-26.

The left-footed youngster stands at 6ft 2in tall, making him a threat in both boxes from corners and other set-pieces; he scored a fine near-post header for the Castilla side in a recent youth game, evoking memories of Gabriel Martinelli vs. Standard Liege in 2019.

Valdepenas is a competent finisher with his left foot too, one of a few on-ball qualities he has demonstrated during his embryonic career, including progressive carrying and smart turns while under pressure.

The 19-year-old's ability to play both centre-back and left-back also means that he is comfortable inverting into the midfield when starting out wide, and he is not afraid to take multiple players on with the ball at his feet.

Defensively, Valdepenas exhibits strong positioning, composure and a willingness to slide into the tackle, without necessarily venturing into foul territory; he has picked up a total of four yellow cards this season in all competitions.

Victor Valdepenas to Arsenal: Transfer verdict

Valdepenas's physical profile, versatility and attacking capabilities could draw comparisons with Arsenal's Calafiori, who has found fame as a marauding left-back who can pop up anywhere.

However, with Calafiori and Hincapie often tasked with playing at left-back for the Gunners in recent times, and Cristhian Mosquera only just back from an ankle injury, Gabriel Magalhaes has often been short of cover in the left centre-back slot.

The 28-year-old was forced to start against Portsmouth in the FA Cup due to Arsenal's defensive shortages, when Arteta surely would have wanted to rest him instead, and he has also now entered the prime years of his career.

In the best-case scenario, Gabriel could very well shine at the top level for the next 10 years - see his countryman Thiago Silva - but Arsenal would be naive not to look to the future with an exciting, long-term investment.

Valdepenas could hardly learn from a better left-sided centre-half either - Virgil van Dijk aside - but the price must be right, as Arsenal will also have wingers and central midfielders on their shopping list in 2026.