Forget Ayden Heaven, Arsenal fans are in agreement over another ‘unreal’ academy prospect

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Arsenal are preparing for their first of nine remaining Premier League games following the final international break of the summer.

Mikel Arteta’s side welcome Fulham to the Emirates Stadium and will be welcoming former Hale End star Emile Smith Rowe back to the club for the first time since his summer departure.

Arteta and Marco Silva have both questioned Smith Rowe and although his time at Arsenal was eventually disrupted by injury there is no doubting the talent he possesses with five goals already this season.

However, attentions have also been on the U21 side as they clashed with Norwich and with pre-season tours in mind with the Arsenal first-team squad, one player has particularly impressed once again.

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Arsenal fans react to Marli Salmon performance v Norwich U21

Arsenal’s U21 side secured a Premier League 2 play-off position with a resounding 3-0 victory over Norwich City. During the game, defender Marli Salmon impressed fans with another stellar display from the 15-year-old.

Fans took to X to voice their amazement at the performance of Salmon, one Arsenal fan wrote: “Marli Salmon in unreal.”

Another Gunners fan wrote: “Marli Salmon is a great defender for his age, haven’t seen someone that comfortable that young for a long while.”

One fan liked how Salmon is already using his physical attributes to dominate, they wrote: “Marli Salmon is just so impressive. What looked like a difficult ball to deal with, his composure and body usage just allows him to handle it with relative ease. You forget he’s just 15!”

Whilst another fan made yet more comparisons with current first-team centre back William Saliba in the way that the youngster gets on the ball and dictates.

Pre season a chance for Salmon to shine

Salmon will turn 16 in August 2025 and with Arsenal set to face Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong in July 2025, the defender may well get a chance to show what he can do.

The likes of Max Dowman have recently joined Arteta’s side on their mid-season break to Dubai and with more impressive displays, Salmon could be joining him next ahead of next campaign.

Salmon has impressed Arsenal fans on a number of occasions for the U21 side and in the FA Youth Cup run and could learn a lot from the likes of Saliba on the tour.

Arteta has proven before that he trusts his academy products and Dowman and Salmon could be the next two to make the leap into first-team contention.