Mikel Arteta has included 12 academy players in his 26-man squad currently on our US Tour, providing a great opportunity for them to learn about life on the road with our first team.
The opportunity to impress in our matches against Bournemouth, Manchester United and Liverpool is one the youngsters will be relishing, and before you setted down to watch those games, you can get up to speed with the talent in our academy by learning more about them below:
Tickets are still available for all three US Tour matches while you can stream every game live on Arsenal.com and the official app by purchasing Match Passes.
Alexei Rojas
Born: 28/09/2005
Joined: 18/03/2019
A vocal goalkeeper with bags of potential, Alexei made 13 appearances across our youth sides last season, including all six matches in the UEFA Youth League group stage and his debut for the under-21s. Basildon-born Alexei has represented Colombia at international youth level, as well as Russia and England.
He began playing football at Boreham Wood as well as St Albans City and London Colney Colts before joining our academy in 2019. He was part our under-18s squad that finished as runners-up in the FA Youth Cup in 2022/23, and away from the pitch he is a keen campaigner on environmental issues.
He signed his first professional contract earlier this month.
Lucas Nygaard
Born: 26/06/2006
Joined: 26/06/2024
Promising goalkeeper Lucas began training with us last season after leaving FC Nordsjaelland, and made the move permanent when signing his pro contract on his 18th birthday in June 2024.
Denmark Under-18s manager Lasse Stensgaard described him as “a real winner who will do everything he can to win.” Excellent with the ball at his feet, Lucas is also strong when coming for crosses into his box, and possesses fantastic reactions.
Tommy Setford
Born: 13/03/2006
Joined: 21/07/2024
18-year-old goalkeeper Tommy joined us from Ajax Amsterdam on Sunday. The England youth international, who was born in the Netherlands, has developed through Ajax’s academy, representing the Jong Ajax development sides in recent seasons.
Academy Manager, Per Mertesacker said: “We welcome Tommy to Arsenal. He is a young goalkeeper with big potential and we look forward to supporting his development in the coming years.”
“I already know Ethan [Nwnaeri] and Myles [Lewis-Skelly],” Tommy said. “They’re great guys and I can have a good laugh with them. I spent a few camps with them, so I know them well. I just saw them for a quick meet and greet!”
Josh Nichols
Born: 26/07/2006
Joined: 30/03/2016
A flying full back who can operate on the right or the left, Josh made 35 appearances across our academy sides last season, including all six group games in the UEFA Youth League. One of his three goals of the season came in Europe, away to PSV Eindhoven.
He joined our academy at under-9s level, grew up playing more as a striker or a winger, before finding his feet at full back. He signed pro forms with us at the start of the season.
Ayden Heaven
Born: 22/09/2006
Joined: 05/11/2019
Versatility is one of Ayden’s key strengths, as he is capable of playing in central defence or as a box-to-box midfielder, adept at progressing the play and imposing himself on matches. Last season Ayden (formerly known as Ayden John) made 11 appearances for our under-18s side as well as 17 for the under-21s.
The left-footed defender also played five times in the UEFA Youth League, and was named on the bench for the first team in our Champions League Round of 16 match away to Porto. Highly-rated Ayden is an England youth international.
Omar Rekik
Born: 20/12/2001
Joined: 02/01/2021
Powerful ball-playing central defender Omar played most of his football last season on loan at Wigan Athletic in League One – his second consecutive season with the Latics. He has also played on loan for Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie since his last set of games for our under-21s team in Premier League 2 in the 2021/22 season.
Before joining us in 2021, he featured regularly for Hertha Berlin’s youth teams and was also on the books at Feyenoord, Manchester City, PSV and Marseille. At international level, Omar has represented the Netherlands under-18s as well as the Tunisia senior side. His older brother Karim plays in the UAE after starring for Sevilla.
Michal Rosiak
Born: 12/10/2005
Joined: 15/05/2018
A free-kick specialist with an eye for the top corner, Michal made 41 appearances across our youth sides last season – more than any other player. Playing mainly at right back, he scored nine goals in the process, often from set-pieces, and provided six assists.
His best spell came between September and January, when Michal registered a goal or assist in seven out of eight games. Also comfortable in midfield, he has represented Poland at international youth level since first being called up for their under-15s team.
Charles Sagoe Jr
Born: 24/07/2004
Joined: 16/07/2015
A composed and intelligent forward who is dangerous on either wing, Charles Jr made his debut for the first team last season when he started our Carabao Cup win away to Brentford. He then completed a loan move to Swansea City, playing twice in the Championship.
Charles Jr’s best goalscoring season was 2021/22, when he netted nine times in 26 U18 Premier League games and he scored three more for our youth teams last season in all competitions. An Arsenal player from the age of nine, he is eligible to represent England and Ghana at international level.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Born: 26/09/2006
Joined: 16/05/2015
Dynamic, ball-carrying midfielder Myles joined our Hale End Academy at under-9s level, and enjoyed an excellent first season as a full-time scholar, signing his first pro contract upon turning 17. The England youth international can also play in defence and appeared on the bench for the first team in the Premier League and Champions League last season.
He made 23 appearances at youth level, scoring twice and providing five assists. He famously scored a late winner against Manchester City in the FA Youth Cup semi-final at Emirates Stadium in 2022/23.
Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand
Born: 20/08/2003
Joined: 01/07/2020
A creative midfielder capable of producing moments of magic, Salah-Eddine spent last season on loan at FC Den Bosch, where he scored three goals and got one assist in 19 appearances in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football.
He joined us from Feyenoord in 2020 and had his best goalscoring form in 2021/22, with five goals and three assists in 16 Premier League 2 games. He has also represented the Netherlands at international youth level.
Salah got off to a flying start in pre-season, scoring two goals and providing one assist away to Boreham Wood while playing with his brother Ismail for the first time.
Jimi Gower
Born: 01/10/2004
Joined: 28/06/2017
Often seen dictating the play, central midfielder Jimi made a real impression in our under-21s team last season after stepping up from the under-18s. He made 20 appearances in Premier League 2, scoring two goals and assisting twice.
He was one of the key players in our 6-2 win over Manchester United in the play-off round of 16. Jimi signed his first professional contract in July 2023 after joining us from Southend United’s youth setup in 2017 at the age of 13.
Ethan Nwaneri
Born: 21/03/2007
Joined: 16/05/2015
The youngest player ever to represent our men’s first team when he came on against Brentford in September 2022 aged 15 (also becoming the youngest player in Premier League history in the process), attacking midfielder Ethan gained more first-team experience last term. He came on during our 6-0 win at West Ham in February, having been regularly involved on the bench for Mikel Arteta’s side.
At youth level the talented playmaker once again excelled, scoring 18 times from 20 appearances, including five against Crewe Alexandra in the 7-1 FA Youth Cup win in December. A highly technical, creative player who can operate in the No. 10 role or out wide, Ethan was our top scorer in Premier League 2 with 11 goals from 15 games.
He made his debut for the under-21s while still a schoolboy and signed his first pro contract with us upon turning 17 in March 2024. He scored 15 goals in 28 appearances for England Under-17s – including three at the 2024 U-17 European Championships in May.
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