The former Rangers youngster has sealed a dream move following a trial period
Former Rangers academy product Archie Stevens has sealed a ‘dream’ move to Champions League outfit Arsenal just 108 days on from his Ibrox departure.
The 19-year-old, who made just one senior appearance at Ibrox, has impressed Arsenal academy manager Per Mertesacker after being handed a trial period at the Emirates this summer, leading to the teenager putting put pen to paper on his first professional contract with the Gunners.
The highly-rated winger has represented England at various youth levels, but only played a mere two minutes for Rangers during his three years at the club, coming off the bench late in a 3-1 Scottish League Cup win over Queen of the South back in 2022. Replacing Glen Kamara in the 88th minute of the game, Stevens made his senior bow at the age of just 16, with then-head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst saying he wanted to “give youngsters their first taste of Ibrox.”
Archie Stevens spent time on loan with Dunfermline Athletic last season.placeholder image
Archie Stevens spent time on loan with Dunfermline Athletic last season. | SNS Group
Stevens spent the majority of his time with the Light Blues playing in the B team, though he did move on loan to Dunfermline Athletic last season, featuring 10 times in the Scottish Championship. After not being offered a contract extension in the summer, he departed the club alongside another 13 youth players, but was offered an immediate route back into football after being awarded a trial with Arsenal, where he has impressed enough to secure a permanent stay with the North London outfit.
Compared to England and Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka, due to their similarities in playing style by The Sun, one fan site claimed he could have the potential to emulate Saka, who has scored 51 English Premier League goals for the club, mirroring his rise from the academy to the Gunners’ first team.
“Since Archie has been with us, he has really impressed as a person and player,” academy boss Mertesacker said. “He has fit into our environment seamlessly and has been really impressive in matches and in training. Archie has absolutely earned this next stage in his career with his professional contract with us. We welcome Archie to our Academy and are all looking forward to working with him in his continued development.”
Stevens himself said: “I went on loan to Dunfermline towards the end of the season and learnt loads there. We were in a relegation scrap at the start, so that taught me a lot, and we managed to stay up. So I’ve seen a lot of things on and off the pitch. My first game was against Chelmsford in pre-season, I think I gave a good account of myself. Then we had the Monaco game out in France, which was a great opportunity.
“I came on in the last 30 minutes, so I wanted to make an impact. I saw the ball come to me in quite a wide area, but I thought I need to get something away, whether it’s a shot or a pass and I went for goal. I can't wait to show what I can do. Obviously, it's such a massive club, so it's a dream come true to be here, I'm just grateful for the opportunity.”