Arsenal youngsters Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, Khayon Edwards and Jack Henry-Francis are all set to leave the club at the end of the season, Arsenal Insider understands.
The trio have all been on the periphery of the first team this campaign, training with Mikel Arteta’s senior group and making the bench on a handful of occasions.
Butler-Oyedeji made his Arsenal debut in January in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb, but is yet to feature since, despite being named as a substitute almost every week.
While Edwards and Henry-Francis have been less prominent figures in Arteta’s set-up, the pair have made a few matchday squads, but are very unlikely to repeat this next campaign.
Arsenal set to let go of Hale End trio
Arsenal are perennial Premier League title contenders these days, and thus, there is little room to blood youngsters, unless they’re of supreme quality already.
The likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri represent the elite young talents emerging from Hale End, and the group just below that level can’t quite get a look in.
Butler-Oyedeji and Henry-Francis both made the bench against Real Madrid, and their presence in the dressing room is said to have been positive, although they were never likely to get on to the pitch against Los Blancos.
22 and 21 respectively, the pair need to go out and play senior football somewhere.
Meanwhile, Edwards will turn 22 in December, and has just seven senior professional football appearances to his name, on loan at Leyton Orient.
All three are out of contract in the summer, and TBR Football’s transfer expert Graeme Bailey told Arsenal Insider that it’s unlikely any of them will be renewed.
“As it stands, they both [Butler-Oyedeji and Edwards] will be out of contract, I can confirm that from the club,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean to say they won’t get a deal done, but I think that’s the way it’s heading. We’re at Easter now and they’re both not signed up, so I think it is probably looking towards an exit for the pair of them, from what I understand.
“They’re both involved [in the first team], but neither are playing minutes. Although they’ve been involved on the bench lately, the understanding is that the two strikers, and Jack Henry-Francis, will all go.”
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji could join Jack Wilshere at Norwich
The only one of the three to play for Arsenal’s first team has already been linked with an EFL club.
Norwich City are interested in Butler-Oyedeji, with the Canaries’ assistant manager Jack Wilshere eager to sign the Gunners starlet.
Wilshere coached Butler-Oyedeji when he was Arsenal’s under-18 boss, and the former player is said to be a huge admirer of the young striker.
The 22-year-old looked physically not at the level in his short Champions league cameo earlier in the season, but his technical level is high and Carrow Road could be the perfect place for him to develop and find his way in senior football.
Ultimately, the reality is that the majority of those coming through Hale End won’t be good enough to play for a side competing for major honours, but they can still forge extremely successful careers elsewhere.
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