Meet Arsenal wonderkid Marli Salmon, 15, dubbed ‘next Saliba' and on senior tour to Singapore as meteoric rise continues
But they may be less clued up on the other 15-year-old wonderkid currently on Arsenal's
9
Mikel Arteta has taken rising star Marli Salmon on Arsenal's Asia tour
Credit: Getty
9
The defender is still only 15 years old
Credit: Getty
9
He has already played for the Under-21s
Credit: Getty
9
The teenager has been dubbed the 'next Saliba'
Credit: Getty
Marli Salmon is the ball-playing centre-back who
The opportunity will see the teenager rub shoulders with his hero,
Photographs show Gunners boss Arteta instructing Salmon during a training session at Singapore's National Stadium.
And the way Salmon is already taller than 5ft 9ins Arteta underlines his impressive physicality at such a tender age.
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
The youngster joined
Salmon, who turns 16 on August 29, has had a rapid rise in the last 12 months.
Having impressed for the Under-18s, the versatile defender made his first Emirates Stadium appearance in the FA Youth Cup against Manchester United.
He was fast-tracked to the Under-21s last term, playing five times at that level despite still being a schoolboy. Salmon has also featured twice in the Uefa youth league and has been called up to the
Most read in Football
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS
Displaying a grace on the ball, running power and an excellent reading of the game, Arteta saw enough to take him on the Gunners' pre-tour camp to La Manga,
Salmon, who recently signed a two-year scholarship with the North Londoners, is aware of the similarities between his own game and that of Arteta's best technical central defender.
Arsenal fans convinced new transfer is done after star's 'message' in kit launch
The youngster said: 'I look up to William Saliba, he's a good player.
"There are a lot of attributes that match up with me so I look up to him.'
Salmon is one of eight current Arsenal academy players in Arteta's Asian selection, with creative starlet Dowman the pick of the bunch.
Others include recently-converted forward Andre Annous, 17, speedy winger Ismeal Kabia, 19, versatile full-back Josh Nichols, 18, box-to-box midfielder Louie Copley, 18, plus 19-year-old goalkeepers Tommy Setford and Alexei Rojas.
Setford made a shock first-team debut against Preston in the Carabao Cup in October, keeping a clean sheet.
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
Here are all of Arsenal's pre-season games before the return of the Premier League...
Arsenal vs AC Milan, Singapore (July 23, 12.30pm)
Arsenal vs Newcastle, Singapore (July 27, 12.30pm)
Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur, Hong Kong (July 31, 12.30pm)
Arsenal vs Villarreal, Emirates Stadium (August 6, 6pm)
Arsenal vs Athletic Bilbao, Emirates Stadium (August 9, 5pm)
9
Marli Salmon plays for Arsenal U18 v Crystal Palace
Credit: Getty
9
Arsenal wonderkid Marli Salmon models his game on William Saliba
Credit: Getty
9
Max Downan has also been training with the first team squad
Credit: Getty
9
Alan Smith believes the youngsters will benefit from the Asia Tour
Credit: Getty
But it is 15-year-old, 'Magic Max' Dowman who is generating the most buzz from his electric performances in the youth teams and a competitive first-team debut this term not only seems realistic, but expected.
Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith, who netted 115 goals in eight seasons at the club in the late 1980s and early 1990s, winning two league titles, reckons Salmon and Dowman being on tour will prove invaluable to their development.
Speaking to The Sun in association with
'It's a good move from Mikel to take them both on tour. They will get massive exposure of what it's like to be with the first team for a significant period during the Asia tour.
'However, they are very unlikely to have game-time this season and Max especially is too young, he needs to be managed well, like Saka, Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly.
'Max has been in the headlines for some of his performances for the younger age groups and he will gain huge experience being with the squad.
'Arsenal must be careful with Max, but you have to trust Mikel Arteta to know when to put him in. You also have to be wary of fan expectation as he is very young, but obviously he has massive potential.'
Salmon was also snapped vying for a ball with fellow Gunners youth product
It followed Nwaneri's younger brother Emerson turning out in Arsenal Under-18s' 2-0 defeat to the Dover Athletic first team on Saturday.
9
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
CBS Sports host Kate Scott banned from making Misfits Boxing debut as husband Malik says ‘I love her too much'
KATE SCOTT has been banned from making her boxing debut at Misfits Boxing. The stunning CBS Sports host had been in training 7 Kate Abdo is married to Malik Scott Credit: Instagram / @kateabdo 7 He was training her to box does not want to see her in the ring Credit: Instagram @kateabdo Her training appeared to be going well as she was coached by her boxing trainer husband Malik Scott. She had been However, he has now revealed that he has BANNED his wife from entering the ring. READ MORE ON KATE SCOTT Scott has claimed that the chance of seeing the presenter with gloves on is "dead" but only because he "loves" her so much. Speaking to "I've been in love with Kate the last few years, and the love has got deeper and deeper and deeper, and at one time Kate boxing was something I was entertaining. "But I'm so crazy about this woman that I would never want to see her box right now. Most read in Boxing JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS "I was deeply in love with her before, and was sketchy and nervous about it, and now I just can't even imagine it. "I'm cool with just training my wife on pads. Kate Scott rocks bold outfit as DAZN presenter stuns in low-cut top for Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois "We were looking at fights together, but I never want to see her box. "I wouldn't say I persuaded her, but my energy speaks for itself. "It's not something that I bring up. It's not something that I entertain." 7 Scott had been linked with a Misfits Boxing fight night Credit: Getty 7 The stunning presenter is best known for her work on CBS Sports Credit: Getty She first joked that she got engaged in October 2023 while on CBS Sports' coverage of the Champions League. She and Malik Malik is also a former heavyweight boxer with an impressive 38-3-1 record . He is best known for his training of former champion 7 Kate is a firm fan favourite Credit: Reuters 7 She heads up CBS' Champions League coverage Credit: Getty 7 She works alongside Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
England star reveals Chloe Kelly's two-word message before crucial penalty in Euro 2025 semi-final vs Italy
ALEX GREENWOOD has opened on her conversation with Chloe Kelly prior to the England star's crucial late penalty in last night's win over Italy. The Lionesses 4 Chloe Kelly stepped up to take England's 119th minute penalty Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 4 Kelly, 27, celebrates her winning goal Credit: Getty But And they were then presented with the chance to win the match late on in extra time, when Having come off the bench, Kelly took the crucial spot kick. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL The 27-year-old's penalty was initially saved, only for Kelly to calmly slot home the rebound and send England into the final. After the match, England star The defender, 31, said: "That takes a lot of courage to step up to take that. "I asked her, she had no doubt in her mind, she was confident enough to take it. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 4 Alex Greenwood was full of praise for Kelly after the match Credit: AP "All of our penalty takers were off, so who was left was probably me or Chloe. I missed the pen in the (Sweden) game, in the shootout, Chloe scored hers comfortably, so they (manager Sarina Wiegman and No2 Arjan Veurink) said, 'It's up to you, you or Chloe'. "I asked her, I looked at her and said, 'What do you think?' She said, 'I'm confident'. Supersub Chloe Kelly's late winner sends England into Euro 2025 final "That's enough for me. I don't need to ask her again. She's confident enough to take it, so she did. "She's great. She's brilliant. I mean, she came on, she caused them massive problems, she did the other day. She scores a penalty. "The way she carries herself off the pitch, I've not got enough good words to say about her." Boss Wiegman later added: "I think Chloe thrives on these moments. She's excited about them, she loves those moments. You can tell. "We always had the opportunity to bring fresh players on who bring a lot of quality. "We ended up with more players up front, which was necessary because it was a wall we had to find a hole in. They did really good. "When you go a goal down and have to come from behind against Italy, you know you have a problem. "We had some serious challenges. We didn't play well in the first half, we had a lot of the ball but we didn't have the energy. "The second half was better but they defended really well, and there wasn't much space in the final third." The Lionesses will face either 4 The Lionesses celebrate booking their place in the final Credit: Getty
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Liverpool in discussions for Rodrygo transfer as Real Madrid schedule meeting to decide future
The Premier League champions have already splashed the cash to bring in Florian Wirtz for a club-record £116million fee, as well a bolstering their squad with further key additions. Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili's move from Valencia - which was initially agreed last summer - was officially finalised at the beginning of July and he will compete with Alisson Becker. Jeremie Frimpong has been signed as a direct replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Milos Kerkez will provide competition for Andy Robertson at left-back. Already the highest spenders in the Premier League this summer, Liverpool's spree is now verging on £300m after agreeing a £79m deal to sign Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. However, according to various reports, the Reds are still active in the transfer market. In fact, French publication Foot Mercato claim Arne Slot's side have taken the next step in their attempts to land Rodrygo. It has been reported that while no contact has been made with Real Madrid directly yet, discussions have taken place between Liverpool and the 24-year-old's entourage to discover if a transfer is possible. In a massive boost for the Merseyside giants, Rodrygo is said to favour a move to the Premier League if he were to leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer and this is despite links to Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Furthermore, Spanish publication AS state that a meeting will take place between Los Blancos and Rodrygo to clarify his situation and find out if he wishes to seek a new adventure. Liverpool could face competition for the Brazil international's signature as both Arsenal and Tottenham have been heavily linked. Should Rodrygo end up at Anfield then he could be a direct replacement for Luis Diaz who has reportedly performed a surprise U-turn over his future amid links to Bayern Munich or Federico Chiesa after being left out of the Asia pre-season squad tour.
