It was confirmed yesterday that Ife Ibrahim and Josiah King have both signed their first professional contracts with Arsenal.
Keeping Ibrahim represents a significant boost for the academy, with the defensive midfielder amongst the standout prospects at the club.
A player who is excellent at breaking up play, Ibrahim is now targeting involvement with the first-team squad.
Ibrahim’s scholarship contract had been set to expire in the summer, so it is important that Arsenal managed to get the 18-year-old tied down to a new deal.
In recent years there have been cases of Arsenal losing talented prospects at this stage of their development.
King, meanwhile, signed a professional contract at the earliest opportunity after he turned 17 last week.
The attack-minded right-back is currently out injured but prior to that had enjoyed an encouraging start to the season during which he had made appearances at U21 and U19 levels as well as being a key figure for the U18s.
Both Ibrahim and King have been capped by England at youth level and players who achieve that honour are often held in very high regard by the club.
With their short-term futures secure, the two players will now be looking to push on even further in their development during the remainder of the campaign.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird