There had been something of a concern about the depth of Arsenal U21s’ defensive options, with Maldini Kacurri having joined Grimsby Town in a permanent move, while Will Sweet has secured a youth loan switch to Dagenham & Redbridge.
However, the signing of Jaden Dixon from Stoke, which was officially announced this week, has gone some way towards addressing the issue.
A highly-rated player who has been capped by England at U19 level, Dixon is mainly a centre-back but is also capable of playing at right-back, while he has occasionally featured as a left-back.
Such flexibility could be useful for Arsenal and it will be intriguing to see which position Dixon is deployed in if he makes his debut for the U21s at home to Everton tomorrow.
One possibility could be for Dixon to start at right-back, which would enable Marli Salmon and Brayden Clarke to continue their partnership at the heart of the defence.
Dixon has initially linked up with Arsenal’s U21 squad but he will be aiming for involvement with the senior team as soon as possible.
Arsenal also finalised the signing of Evan Mooney from St Mirren this week, with the Scotland youth international capable of playing as a winger or a forward.
Although he is eligible to play for the U18s in the remainder of the season, Mooney has started training with the U21s, which indicates that he will mainly be involved with the older age group.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird