Arsenal scouted Russian teenager Igor Diveev at the prestigious COTIF youth tournament.
Russia under-20s centre-half Diveev, 18, is rated as one of the country's most promising prospects and is currently playing for FC UFA.
The 6ft 3in defender netted in the match against Argentina under-20 and helped the Russians beat Venezuela U20s 2-0 in the tournament.
He's contracted to FC UFA in the Russian top flight - a club where former Arsenal favourite Emmanuel Frimpong played 25 games.
Head of recruitment Sven Mislintat looks for and scout players - allowing Unai Emery to mould them for the first team
Mislintat was brought in from Borussia Dortmund in November and is known for plucking exciting talents and driving a hard bargain.
He spotted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Shinji Kagawa and Ousmane Dembele for the German side.
His pre-season wish list included a series of defenders and a midfielder or two, with the Gunners well stockpiled in attack.