Arsenal’s academy has had a turbulent few months.
The uncertainty surrounding Per Mertesacker’s departure as academy director created instability at a crucial time for contract negotiations with young players.
The club look set to lose highly-rated talents such as Mishel Nduka and Kyran Thompson. They also missed out on Jeremy Monga to Manchester City.
But Pascal de Maesschalck’s arrival as the new academy director should steady things going forward.
Who is the one Arsenal academy player you thought would become a superstar but never did?
Now, a promising young defender has been spotted at Colney, and his background makes the story particularly interesting.
Elijah Upson visits Arsenal as north London switch edges closer
According to the Daily Mail, former Tottenham youth prospect Elijah Upson has visited Arsenal’s training ground as he weighs up his next move.
The 18-year-old has left Spurs after turning down their professional terms, and has attracted interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Manchester City, Chelsea, Everton, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Monaco have all registered their interest.
He is spending time visiting various suitors before making a decision over the coming week. Arsenal are among them.
The son of former West Ham and England centre-back Matthew Upson, who spent six years at Arsenal earlier in his career, has been with Tottenham since the age of seven.
He has featured for their U17s, U18s and U21s and played a role in their U17 Premier League Cup-winning squad.
His pace and athleticism, partly inherited from his sprinter mother Ellie Darby, have been standout attributes throughout his youth career.
Upson is a natural centre-back who would likely slot into the U21s setup.
With Marli Salmon expected to feature in pre-season given the likely absences of Ben White and Jurrien Timber, as well as William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes following the World Cup, there could be a pathway to first-team exposure for young defenders at Arsenal this summer.
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