Throughout the season, we catch up with our young Gunners in the matchday programme to find out more about their route to our academy. This week, Josh Nichols explains joining the club as an Arsenal fan, scoring at PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Youth League and more.
I was born in Newham, and I grew up around Dagenham. When I was around nine or ten, I moved out to Essex and started playing football at the Sunday League level for my local team called Euro Dagenham, and I just loved it.
My dad was big into football too – he used to play and now coaches, so he has encouraged me a lot. My family background is that my mum is Nigerian, and my dad is Jamaican and Guyanese. In school I did a lot of athletics, and sprinting, but I was good at long jump; that was one of my specialties.
Growing up I always loved skills, so guys like Neymar and Ronaldinho were people I enjoyed watching. Of course I looked up to Messi as he’s just a brilliant player and plays the game the right way.
"When they confirmed my scholarship I ran down the road with excitement!"
The first academy I got a trial for was West Ham when I was around six or seven years old, but I didn’t get signed. Then I went to Chelsea, and I was close to signing for them as they invited me back after my trial, but the journey was just too far from where I lived, so I never ended up joining. After that, I went to Tottenham, and I was there for a while. Just as I was about to sign, I got a trial at Arsenal, so I went and did it but I didn’t get in, so I went back to Tottenham. Believe it or not, two weeks later Arsenal had a change of heart and decided to sign me. I was so happy because I’ve always been an Arsenal fan, and my whole family was so happy. It was a great moment! I joined young at under-9s level, so the only players I remember that were there when I got there were Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri.
My position has changed because, growing up, I was actually a striker, and that’s the position I was scouted for when I went to West Ham. I then transitioned to a winger, and then there was one season where I started playing right back. Since then I’ve really enjoyed that role.
The standout moments from Hale End days, I would say, were the tours we went on. There was one year where we went to Japan, which is such a beautiful country, and I think it was the furthest country we’d been to at the time. During that tour we got to the final where we played Barcelona, and that was an experience! To then get my scholarship wasn’t an easy time because I got my decision during lockdown, so all of our calls were online, and I remember when they confirmed it, I just ran down the road in excitement. I was so happy.
Going from Hale End to Sobha Realty Training Centre is humbling as a scholar because everything is more intense. The training is harder, you have longer days, and it’s a whole different ball game. It shows how football works and opens the door to the reality of how hard you need to work to make it at Arsenal. Being coached by Jack Wilshere in the under-18s is a blessing because he’s got such invaluable experience and was playing first team at the ages we’re at now. He’s so good to work with, and I enjoy every minute of it.
I’ve played under-21s football more regularly this season, and it’s completely different from under-18s football. It’s a lot more physical, and being one of the smallest in the team, it has its challenges, but it’s an amazing experience, and I’ve adapted well to it. I just want to continue playing regularly and getting more minutes. I also played in the under-19s UEFA Youth League this season, which was also a great experience. I scored in the final group game away to PSV Eindhoven, which was brilliant for me. I was gutted that my mum couldn’t be there as she’s always at the games with me, and I would have loved to have celebrated it with her, but with it being abroad, it made it more difficult.
Training with the first team is nerve-wracking at the start, especially when you see the big players that you would have watched on TV the day before and are all over the news. But when you go there, you just need to give it your all and know that you are there for a reason. You’re there to show your best self, and it’s where I want to eventually be, so I always embrace the challenges. There have been a few times where I’ve done well in 1v1 defending, but a couple of other times, it has been difficult. Overall it's an amazing experience.
For the rest of the season, I want to solidify my spot at right back for the under-21s, and when I’m playing I want to get more goals and assists.
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