Arsenal have a number of incredible youngsters in their academy.
Hale End has been producing one extraordinary talent after another in recent years, but where the Gunners have improved massively is in their academy recruitment.
Arsenal have signed a few talented teenagers from other clubs in England and abroad in recent years, and the latest was Elijah Upson from Tottenham Hotspur.
The youngster could make it into the senior setup sooner than anyone thinks.
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Elijah Upson could push himself into the Arsenal first team ‘quickly’
Arsenal have always been a club who have given opportunities to young players.
The likes of Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Max Dowman are all first-team players having come through the academy.
That pathway into the senior side is what makes Arsenal an attractive destination for young players, and that must have played a part in Upson’s decision to leave Tottenham and join their North London rivals.
The plan is for the teenager to play for the U21s next season, but first-team opportunities may not be too far away.
The Daily Mail have claimed that Upson could push himself into Mikel Arteta’s plans ‘quickly’ even though he only joined the club in this window.
The 18-year-old didn’t even come close to playing for Tottenham’s first team last season – he barely even played for the U21s.
However, with William Saliba out injured for a long time and Arsenal not getting any closer to signing a new centre-half, an opportunity could be up for grabs.
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Elijah Upson and Marli Salmon could form a solid centre-back partnership
If you asked an Arsenal fan to name a young defender in the academy to break into the first team, almost everyone would say Marli Salmon.
The 16-year-old has already played for the senior side, and everyone in the game thinks he will be a star in the coming years.
Now, with Upson at the club and reports claiming that he could be fast-tracked into the senior side, there is a real chance that we could see him paired up with Salmon in pre-season.
Even if it is for a few minutes off the bench, seeing the two youngsters in action alongside each other, it could give Arsenal fans a look into the future.
If that doesn’t happen, we expect Salmon and Upson to play together plenty of times for the U21s next season.
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