Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have earned their places in the Arsenal first team this season, and another Hale End prospect is now set to follow suit.
The Gunners’ youth set-up has been effective in producing players that go on to feature in the senior squad in recent times, with the appointment of Per Mertesacker as the club’s academy manager clearly paying dividends.
Lewis-Skelly has burst onto the scene and established himself as Mikel Arteta’s first choice left-back this campaign, while Nwaneri has shown he can deputise for Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
More starlets are on their way, with Max Dowman making waves at Hale End, and a young goalkeeper now set to be promoted into Arteta’s ensemble.
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Alexei Rojas to be part of Arsenal first team in 2025/26 season
Alexei Rojas recently posted a video detailing his day-to-day experience as a footballer, which showcased the relentless hard work and graft that is required to make it at the top level.
The 19-year-old shot-stopper’s hard work may now have paid off, as Arsenal have extended his contract at the club.
According to journalist Pipe Sierra, he’s expected to receive significant improvements on his contract terms, while, most importantly, the Colombian will officially join the first team for the 2025/26 season.
Having trained with Arteta’s team on several occasions and made the matchday squad a couple of times, the environment won’t be new to Rojas.
However, he’ll now be deemed an official part of the first team set-up, and will likely assume the third-choice goalkeeper role at the club.
Tommy Setford has held the position throughout this season, meaning he could be shipped out on loan next campaign.
How Rojas’ promotion could impact Arsenal’s transfer plans
It’s well-documented that Arsenal are interested in signing Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia to deputise David Raya this summer.
However, the 23-year-old Spaniard’s stock his risen in recent months, and it’s possible that he’ll either be too costly for the Gunners, or won’t be willing to accept a back-up role.
This may cause Arsenal to pivot in their approach to the goalkeeper position, and Rojas could come into this.
It’s unlikely that the Colombia under-20 international will take the number two shirt yet, although his presence may make Arteta and his coaching staff more comfortable with awarding this position to Karl Hein, who has enjoyed an impressive stint on loan at Real Valladolid this term.
If Garcia was to be brought in, Hein would likely leave N5.
However, the Estonian may be ready to assume the position as Raya’s deputy, while Rojas is said to be further along in his development than Setford.
Thus, if Rojas wasn’t ready for a first-team role and the club continued with Setford as the third choice, they may be more inclined to splash out on Garcia to ensure they have a more experienced back-up to Raya than Hein.
While it’s somewhat convoluted, Rojas’ promotion could ultimately save Arsenal millions in the transfer market.
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