We are pleased to announce that Marli Salmon has signed a pre-contract agreement with the club that will lead to him signing professional terms when he turns 17 in August.<\/p>\n
Marli joined our academy at the age of nine in July 2019 and has risen through the ranks at Hale End.<\/p>\n
A calm and composed defender who is equally adept as a centre-back or full-back, Marli is also an England under-16 international.<\/p>\n
Last summer, the 16-year-old, who signed his scholarship in July 2025, was selected by Mikel Arteta for the pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
Marli made his debut in the 1-0 victory over AC Milan in Singapore, before featuring once again in our 3-2 win over Newcastle United.<\/p>\n
Just five months later, in December, aged 16 years and 102 days old, Marli made his professional debut for us, coming on for Ben White in our 3-0 victory over Club Brugge. In doing so, Marli became the fourth youngest player to represent us in European competitions.<\/p>\n
The milestones haven’t stopped there for Marli, who featured in the FA Cup third round against Portsmouth before making his home debut in the next round against Wigan Athletic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following the signing of his pre-agreement, Marli said: \u201cIt’s a very big moment for me, for my family as well. I’m very proud. I\u2019ve been at the academy since I was nine and I just want to give everything to the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m an Arsenal supporter, and I\u2019ve had some great memories so far. I\u2019m so proud to have made my debut this season, I just want to keep pushing on still, keep my levels high and try to get as much experience as I can in the first team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The deal is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.<\/p>\n