Arsenal repeat Max Dowman contract trick as 16-year-old signs professional agreement

Arsenal person announced that teenage defender Marli Ellis Salmon has signed a pre-contract statement with the club, which volition person into a imperishable woody connected his 17th birthday.

The 2009-born Hale End endowment has breached into Mikel Arteta's archetypal squad alongside Max Dowman during the 2025-26 campaign, making 4 appearances for the Premier League leaders successful each competitions.

Three of those outings person travel successful the FA Cup, wherever Salmon made his afloat Arsenal debut successful the 2-1 fifth-round triumph implicit Mansfield Town aft coming disconnected the seat against Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic.

Prior to the commencement of the FA Cup, Salmon's competitory Arsenal debut arrived successful the Champions League, wherever the 16-year-old was a precocious substitute successful December's 3-0 triumph implicit Club Brugge successful the league phase.

After Arsenal tied Dowman down to pre-contract terms earlier this season, the Gunners person besides secured Salmon's semipermanent future, and the defender volition go a fully-fledged nonrecreational connected his 17th day this August.

Arsenal hold nonrecreational declaration with defender Marli Salmon

Speaking to the authoritative Arsenal website aft signing his deal, Salmon - who was accompanied by Arteta and academy manager Per Mertesacker - said: "It's a precise large infinitesimal for me, for my household arsenic well.

"I'm precise proud. I’ve been astatine the academy since I was 9 and I conscionable privation to springiness everything to the club. I’m an Arsenal supporter, and I’ve had immoderate large memories truthful far.

"I’m truthful arrogant to person made my debut this season, I conscionable privation to support pushing connected still, support my levels precocious and effort to get arsenic overmuch acquisition arsenic I tin successful the archetypal team."

Salmon signed for Arsenal's Hale End academy arsenic a nine-year-old successful 2019, and helium besides helped the Gunners scope the quarter-finals of past year's FA Youth Cup.

The 6ft 1in defender - who tin relation astatine some right-back and centre-back - has besides won 4 caps for the England Under-17 side, but the Young Lions failed to suffice for this season's European Championships.

What different declaration situations indispensable Arsenal benignant out?

Tying Salmon down to nonrecreational presumption should not person been specified a labour-intensive workout for Arsenal, acknowledgment to the teenager's affectional transportation to the nine and lasting wrong the squad.

Now, Andrea Berta and co tin crook their attraction to players whose presumption are acceptable to expire successful 2027, namely Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, arsenic good arsenic Christian Norgaard.

Jesus, Trossard and Norgaard whitethorn not beryllium offered extensions astatine each fixed their ages and signifier this season, and portion Arsenal tin trigger a 12-month hold successful Martinelli's terms, helium mightiness person to beryllium contented with being a squad subordinate adjacent play if the Gunners motion a caller big-money left-winger.

Meanwhile, a big of cardinal players are retired of declaration successful 2028, including Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, David Raya, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice.

Odegaard and the second 3 should beryllium priorities for extensions, but Havertz and Ben White whitethorn beryllium further down the database arsenic a effect of their perpetual fittingness problems.