Hale End wonderkid now set to leave, Arsenal believed he had ‘first-team’ potential

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An Arsenal academy prospect is reportedly set to leave despite the Gunners having belief that he could one day become a first-team player.

The north London side have seen their production at Hale End increase in quality massively over the past few years, with Bukayo Saka the obvious success story as Mikel Arteta has also promoted Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson into senior squad players.

With Ethan Nwaneri expected to make the jump next season, it might not be long before Arsenal fans get to see another prospect from the academy make a name for themselves with the first-team, with the quest for the next Saka firmly on.

Yet one player likened to the England international is now set to leave Arsenal.

Amario Cozier-Duberry set to leave Arsenal this summer

According to the Evening Standard, Amario Cozier-Duberry has made the decision to reject a new contract with Arsenal and to depart north London this summer, with the winger keen to join a club where he will play regular football.

As per the report, Arsenal had hope that the 19-year-old attacker would sign a new deal ahead of going out on loan this summer, with the Gunners believing that Cozier-Duberry had the potential to become a ‘first-team’ player.

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Indeed, given how high the threshold now is for academy prospects to break into Arteta’s senior set-up, it’s perhaps no real surprise that Cozier-Duberry has made the decision to leave Arsenal this summer for a new adventure.

And for the north London side themselves, they could soon regret allowing Cozier-Duberry to leave at this stage in his career, with the attacker more than good enough to play regular football in a top European league.

Arsenal could be about to make another big financial mistake via Hale End

Arsenal are no strangers to letting promising players leave for cheap or sometimes nothing at all, and there’s a real chance that Cozier-Duberry could be the latest slip up in this department from the Gunners.

The 19-year-old winger was electric for Arsenal at multiple youth levels, with Cozier-Duberry unlucky to not have been given a shot with the seniors even with Arteta’s strict selection mindset towards academy players.

And in the years to come, Arsenal could regret allowing Cozier-Duberry to walk for free this summer, with the attacker more than likely to be snapped up by a top European side ahead of a breakout year.