Arsenal hand first professional deal to exciting defender after breakthrough
Arsenal have confirmed that highly-rated academy defender Marli Salmon has signed his first professional contract with the club on his 17th birthday.
Salmon had already agreed a pre-contract with Arsenal in April, with the agreement allowing him to formally turn professional once he reached the required age.
The defender has now put pen to paper after an impressive seven-year journey through Hale End that has already taken him into Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s first-team plans.
“It means a lot to me,” Salmon said. “A lot of hard work went into this, a lot of ups and downs, but I’m so proud.”
Salmon joined Arsenal at Under-11 level in 2019 and initially arrived as an attacker before developing into a commanding defender capable of playing at centre-back or right-back.
His rapid progress accelerated last season when Arteta included him on Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong, where he featured against AC Milan and Newcastle United.
Salmon then made his competitive senior debut in December, replacing Ben White during Arsenal’s 3-0 Champions League victory away to Club Brugge.
At 16 years and 103 days, he became the fourth-youngest player to represent Arsenal in European competition.
The England youth international subsequently featured three times during Arsenal’s FA Cup campaign, including a start against Mansfield Town as his involvement with the senior squad continued to increase.
Salmon believes training alongside established first-team players has helped accelerate his development both on and off the pitch.
“You learn so much, not even just on the pitch, but off the pitch, about how they prepare and how they carry themselves,” he said.
The youngster also had the opportunity to experience Arsenal’s successful Premier League title run from inside the first-team environment last season.
Salmon described seeing the small details required to become champions as an important learning experience and is now targeting further senior opportunities during the new campaign.
His new contract represents another significant step for a player regarded as one of Hale End’s leading defensive prospects.
Salmon has also represented England at Under-17 level and was part of the squad for the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar last year.
Arteta has already praised the youngster’s readiness after handing him his Champions League debut, describing his emergence at just 16 as a “great effort”.
With his professional future now secured, Salmon’s challenge will be to build on last season’s breakthrough and establish himself as another academy graduate capable of becoming a regular member of Arsenal’s senior squad.
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