Arsenal are hopeful that they have a ‘special’ talent on their hands in Marli Salmon, who is making waves in the Hale End academy, Arsenal Insider understands.
Salmon is impressing for Arsenal’s under-21s this season, despite only turning 15 last August.
The young centre-back has made five appearances in Premier League 2, following Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman in becoming the only 15-year-olds to feature at this level.
The hype around the player is growing, and Salmon was rewarded for his form by being called up to England’s under-16 squad earlier this month.
Arsenal believe Marli Salmon could be ‘special’
Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have broken through into the Arsenal first team this season, establishing themselves as regulars in Mikel Arteta’s side.
The two starlets are leading the way for a potentially golden generation of Hale End stars to emerge and forge successful careers for themselves.
Max Dowman is the talk of the Arsenal academy, although there is a similar level of optimism about what Salmon could develop into.
TBR Football’s Graeme Bailey told Arsenal Insider that the North London club think that the central defender could be ‘special’.
“There’s a lot of hope he could be special, that’s what I’m getting back from the club,” he said.
“Still very early, still wouldn’t say he’s the next Nwaneri or Dowman or whatever. But there’s a lot of hope that he is a good one.
“In the next 12 to 18 months we’ll probably hear a lot more about him.”
Arsenal fans were amazed at Salmon’s display against Newcastle’s reserves in February.
While career development is far from linear and centre-backs typically take a long-time to come into their own, there is a growing feeling that the youngster could be the long-term William Saliba replacement.
What is Marli Salmon like as a player?
Calm and composed on the ball, the comparisons to Saliba are very apt for Salmon.
The young defender has the same ability to manipulate the ball in tight spaces to evade pressure as the Frenchman, while his passing is similarly expansive and crisp.
Defensively, Salmon is tall and rangy, possessing impressive recovery pace that allows him to start high up the pitch and try and jump the play early on.
He still has work to do, particularly aerially, but the raw ingredients are there for him to develop into an outstanding centre-back.
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