Ranking Arsenal’s 10 Best Academy Players (2025)

Arsenal have always had a long history of exciting and talented academy products come through at Hale End, with the likes of Jack Wilshere and Bukayo Saka to name a couple. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has shown already in his tenure at the Emirates that he isn’t afraid of throwing players into the deep end and watching them sink or swim, and with the north Londoners boasting another set of promising youngsters, now is the time for fans to be keeping a close eye on them.

The club’s pre-season tour of the USA ahead of the 2024/2025 Premier League season saw Arteta hand significant first-team minutes to a number of young players who suitably impressed. Despite the departures of both Chido Obi-Martin and Ayden Heaven to Manchester United, the Gunners still have a number of talented prospects, including a couple in Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly who have made their mark on the first-team now.

But aside from those two, the north Londoners also boast a few wonderkids who fans are yet to see in competitive action. So, here is a look at the ten best young players at Arsenal right now, and seeing if the Premier League side do have a golden generation on the cards.

10

Brayden Clarke

Last year, Arsenal confirmed the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers starlet Brayden Clarke, with the Welsh youth international ending an eight-year affiliation with the Midlands side to move. Viewed as a rising star in football, Clarke could prove to be a brilliant addition to Arsenal in years to come.

Clarke may struggle to displace the duo of William Saliba and Gabriel for some time, given the form of the senior duo. This may benefit Clarke, however, as if and no doubt when he receives some minutes in the senior Arsenal side, he could do so in a far less-pressured environment.

Comfortable playing as a right-back along with his natural central position, Clarke has been deployed in both positions across 10 appearances in the Under-18s Premier League. It may not be long, all things considered, before Clarke is further involved with the first team if his form and development continues to progress as they have been.

9

Tommy Setford

Last year, goalkeeper Tommy Setford moved to Arsenal from Ajax, where he began his youth career. Singing for a rumoured fee of just under £1 million, the four-year contract given to Setford by the Gunners is a clear indication of the talent they feel the Dutch-born goalkeeper can grow into.

Setford has struggled for fitness this season, having spent most of the campaign battling injury. He has made five appearances across youth competitions for Arsenal, conceding just twice in 450 minutes of football. Setford has clear potential, but must hope to swiftly beat his recent injury problems in order to begin playing consistent football for the North London side.

8

Khayon Edwards

An Arsenal youth player since 2008, Khayon Edwards steadily rose through the ranks over 15 years as a youngster, stepping into the senior fold in 2023 before, last year, spending time with Leyton Orient on loan. Since returning to North London, Edwards has returned to the Arsenal youth side, where he has shown strong form.

In the current Premier League 2 campaign, Edwards has netted seven goals and grabbed two assists in just 10 appearances, having also played twice in the EFL Trophy against sides from League One and League Two. Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus may open the door for Edwards, though he will be conscious that he faces competition from fellow youth striker Butler-Oyedeji. Either way, it is nothing but promising for Arteta’s side to have two prospects fighting to come through.

7

Ceadach O’Neill

Able to play as a winger or an attacking midfielder, Ceadach O’Neill is a new recruit to the Arsenal academy, having completed his move from Linfield in the summer of 2024. Having already played for the senior side at Linfield and also with some U17 caps with Northern Ireland to his name too, O’Neill is set for a bright future and it was no surprise the Gunners decided to snap him up after seeing him up close and personal with a trial. The 16-year-old played a total of four first-team games with Linfield, with all of those appearances coming off the bench.

His trial with the Gunners saw him turn out for the north London side during the Flamengo Adidas Cup in Brazil, with The Daily Mirror claiming that Arsenal “believe the youngster will flourish in his new environment and become a real asset to the academy.”

6

Jack Porter

Teenager Jack Porter is the youngest goalkeeper to ever play for Arsenal and their second-youngest overall player in history. An Arsenal player from the age of 12, Porter debuted for the senior team against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup, playing through a 5-1 victory as Arsenal cruised into the next round of the competition.

Porter still predominantly plays for the Arsenal youth teams, but for a 16-year-old, this is certainly the best option. He has received crucial experience with the first-team, not just as a part of the squad, but as an active player against Bolton. For Arsenal’s youth side, Porter has made nine appearances this season, being the beneficiary of more minutes in the face of Tommy Setford’s injury problems. To have been part of the bench for three of Arsenal’s Champions League matches is something that Porter should be pleased by, as they are clear showings of Arteta’s faith in the youngster.

5

Josh Nichols

A name perhaps not familiar to Arsenal fans prior to pre-season, the right-back has quickly shot up the ranks to impress Arteta and his coaching staff, even earning valuable first-team minutes perhaps far sooner than he might have expected. Diminutive in stature, but lightning-quick, Nichols showed intensity and spirit in the game-time he was given during the club’s tour of the USA in the summer of 2024, and was then rewarded for his performances by making his Emirates Stadium bow in the 4-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Given the sheer number of defenders Arsenal possess right now, and evenmoreso those who can play at right-back – think Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber – it is difficult to see how Nichols breaks into the first-team squad anytime soon. However, whether it’s a loan spell away, or simply plying his trade with the U21s and the youth teams, the right-back could foreseeably have a future with the Gunners in the long run.

4

Marli Salmon

A defender in the mould of William Saliba, Marli Salmon has begun to slowly turn heads at academy level with his mature levels of performances. Most comfortable at centre-back but also able to play at right-back and indication of his versatility, Salmon has been the rock at the back for the U18s during the 2024/2025 season. He was crucial in the Gunners’ run to the FA Youth Cup semi-final, while he won’t turn 16 until August.

Given the competition in front of him, it’s difficult to see Salmon making his breakthrough into the first-team set up soon, but if he continues to develop at the rate that he is, then you can be rest assured his name will be more familiar to Gunners fans in the long run.

3

Max Dowman

The youngest academy prospect on this list, but with one of the highest ceilings, Max Dowman was alread turning heads at the tender age of just 14. In 2024, the teenager recorded an incredible four assists in the Gunners’ U18s side’s 5-2 victory over Everton, leaving then coach Jack Wilshere to suggest that the club might look to fast-track his development. The left-footed midfielder only made his debut for the U18s back in September 2023, when he was just 13, while he has also turned out for England’s U16s group too.

In just seven games in the U18 Premier League, Dowman scored twice and set up another five, including a goal against Chelsea in a 5-2 win at the end of the season. Such was the early promise the teenager showed, the 14-year-old was invited by Mikel Arteta to train with the Arsenal first-team. The 2024/2025 season has seen him step up even more, helping the Gunners’ U18 to the FA Youth Cup semi-finals, while he has been tipped for an even bigger role with the actual first-team squad come the next campaign.

2

Myles Lewis-Skelly

One of the most exciting midfielders to come through the Arsenal system in a while, Myles Lewis-Skelly underlined his status as one of the club’s best prospects when he signed his first professional contract with the club. Alongside another young starlet who is set to feature on this list, the Gunners could have their future midfield sorted for the next decade to come if all things go well. Brought up the Arsenal way as a technician first and foremost, Lewis-Skelly has a unique blend of pace and power, and has an exciting eye for goal too, especially when driving deep from midfield.

While Declan Rice may be the cornerstone of this Arsenal midfield for now, Lewis-Skelly will fancy his chances of potentially playing alongside him in the future. As it stands, the teenager is being deployed at left-back, but will surely have revelled in his first-team exposure.

Lewis-Skelly has made a number appearances for the Gunners this season, with his sole goal so far coming in a 5-1 thrashing of reigning champions Manchester City. It’s also a sign of his rapid rise that the teenager has also now made his England debut and scored his first goal for the Three Lions too. The 2024/2025 campaign has well and truly been a breakthrough one for Lewis-Skelly.

1

Ethan Nwaneri

The name on everybody’s lips at Arsenal, Ethan Nwaneri, became a household name when at the tender age of 15, he became the Premier League’s youngest ever player after coming on as a substitute in the 3-0 victory over Brentford in the 2022/2023 season. The versatile midfielder who can also play out wide, is already a regular for the club’s U21s, and is surely destined for greatness. His combination of pace, directness and ability to evade danger when under pressure marks him out as a truly modern midfielder.

Given that Cesc Fabregas made his mark on an Arsenal team when he was incredibly young too, Nwaneri will be hoping that he can go onto achieve similar success like the Spaniard. While first-team opportunities have been limited this season given the Gunners are in the Champions League and not the Europa League where rotation and chances for youngsters might have been more on offer, he should be in the reckoning for some minutes sooner rather than later in the coming years.

It speaks volumes of the kind of incredible ability he has that even at 17, he is already earning Premier League minutes – something he did against West Ham in the 6-0 thrashing at the London Stadium in January 2024. Given the Gunners were in cruise control, Arteta decided to throw on the youngster and give him his first senior minutes of the campaign, and as if to underline the point of just how highly-thought of he is, club captain Martin Odegaard didn’t waste any time in trying to involve the teenager in the attack and giving him the ball at every opportunity.

His sparkling performances in the club’s pre-season tour of the USA further provided evidence of just how talented the teenager is, capable of driving forward from midfield with pace, power and precision. Throughout 2024/2025 campaign, particularly after Bukayo Saka went down with injury, Nwaneri has played a role of increasing importance in the Arsenal first-team and is showing clear development with each passing week.

If Arsenal are looking for the next hope and sensation to pin their hopes on to after Saka, then Nwaneri is certainly well on his way to doing just that. The Gunners appear to be blessed with talent coming through in the middle of the park, and Nwaneri is the pick of the bunch by far. Given the lack of a genuine replacement for Martin Odegaard, and Arteta’s indecision over who plays in the left number eight role, Nwaneri could quite feasibly stake his claim sooner rather than later.

All stats via Transfermarkt (Correct as of 19/05/2025)