Arsenal striker Khayon Edwards signs long-term contract

Arsenal striker Khayon Edwards signs long-term contract
Date: 19th May 2022 at 9:00pm
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Arsenal have announced that youth-team striker Khayon Edwards has signed a new long-term deal.

The agreement was first reported by The Athletic’s David Ornstein earlier this month.

The 18-year-old has enjoyed a prolific season at U18 level for the Gunners this term, with 16 goals and five assists in 16 U18 Premier League games.

Edwards has also made the step-up to Premier League 2 football amid his rapid development and struck his first goal for the U23s in a 1-1 draw with West Ham United back in January.

The youngster’s season was unfortunately cut short due to injury, but his performances still caught the eye of plenty of clubs, who were keeping tabs on the wonderkid.
The forward was on scholarship terms with Arsenal that were due to reach an end imminently but the Gunners have moved swiftly to secure his long-term future at the Emirates.
The 18-year-old was previously attracting the interest of rivals Chelsea and fellow Premier League outfit Brighton, while there was also interest from clubs abroad.
His new deal will last until 2025, but he will not yet be a part of their first-team squad, nor will he go out on loan. Instead, he will continue his development with their impressive U23s setup.

Academy chief and former Arsenal player Per Mertesacker recently discussed his vision for creating ‘Strong Young Gunners’, with Edwards firmly part of that vision.

The former defender said: “Strong Young Gunners means this is our vision where we want our players to stand strong in every scenario they will face. We are passionate about creating youngsters who can rise to any challenge and we have a rich history and heritage we want to pay tribute to and carry on.”

Arteta has done brilliantly to integrate youngsters into the first team, with both Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe strong examples given their Hale End credentials.

Moreover, 18-year-old midfielder Charlie Patino was awarded an appearance against Sunderland earlier this season in the EFL Cup and scored.

Edwards, who was dubbed “deadly” by Football.London’s Kaya Kaynak, will undoubtedly want to replicate the duo’s fortunes and make his own pathway into the first team over the coming seasons.

The teenager could find himself on the end of an opportunity to impress the Arsenal boss soon, particularly with striker Alexandre Lacazette still yet to sign a contract extension ahead of the expiry of his deal in June whilst the same applies for Eddie Nketiah.

AND in other news, Arsenal set to battle it out for “phenomenal” world class £31.5m-rated playmaker…

 

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