Photo: Payo / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
Arsenal have signed nine players to first-year scholarship deals ahead of the 2026/27 season, with the group committing to the club's academy for the next two years.
The scholars attended a signing event at Emirates Stadium, accompanied by their families and senior academy staff including Head of Academy Coaching Luke Hobbs and Head of Academy Operations Will Oldham.
Defender Hakeem Abubakar joined the Arsenal academy in 2018 and made his under-18s debut during 2025/26, registering three substitute appearances and three starts, including a full 90 minutes in a U18 Premier League fixture against West Ham.
Left-back Elyon Mbala has been at the club since the age of eight. The 15-year-old made his under-18s debut in January 2026 against Southampton and went on to make nine starts in the U18 Premier League.
Centre-back Daniel McCarron joined from Northern Ireland Premiership club Dungannon Swifts in July 2026, having agreed the move in February. He made eight appearances for Northern Ireland's under-17s and previously trialled with Arsenal in December 2024.
Midfielder Emerson Nwaneri scored a hat-trick against Chelsea under-16s in September 2025 and netted the winning goal in the Premier League U16 National Finals final at St George's Park in November. He went on to score twice in 12 under-18s appearances and also made his UEFA Youth League and Premier League 2 debuts.
Forward Jayden Oba, an academy member since 2018, provided two assists for Nwaneri in the U16 National Finals semi-final win over Blackburn Rovers in November 2025. He also featured in the final, which Arsenal won against Aston Villa.
Holding midfielder Theo Odaji-Ukueko made his under-18s debut against West Brom in February 2025, helping Arsenal to a 3-2 win. He signed his scholarship in July 2026.
Defender Angelinou Pedro made 13 appearances across five competitions in 2025/26 despite being a year below scholarship age. Eight of those came in the U18 Premier League, including a stoppage-time winner against Aston Villa. He also made debuts in the Premier League 2, Premier League Cup, UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup.
Midfielder Charlie Purdy joined Arsenal in 2018 as an eight-year-old and made his under-18s debut against Aston Villa in February 2026, the first of six appearances for Adam Birchall's side during the season.
Attacker Joshua Sesay joined from Millwall in 2024 and scored in the U16 National Tournament semi-final win over Blackburn Rovers in November 2025. He made his under-18s debut against Southampton in January 2026.