{"id":290,"date":"2026-02-27T08:17:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T08:17:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/?p=290"},"modified":"2026-02-27T08:17:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T08:17:04","slug":"the-prospects-marli-salmon-arsenal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/?p=290","title":{"rendered":"The Prospects: Marli Salmon, Arsenal"},"content":{"rendered":"


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When your team scores a stunning long-distance strike, a superb team goal and a technically brilliant volley to take a three-goal lead, the attention is not usually on one of the defenders.<\/p>\n

But in the Premier League 2 fixture between Reading under-21s and Arsenal under-21s earlier this week, there was a centre-back who caught the eye with a performance that defied his tender years and was seized upon by excited Arsenal fans on social media.<\/p>\n

Marli Salmon has already gained first-team recognition from Mikel Arteta and there has been a buzz around the 16-year-old.<\/p>\n

This week, The Athletic<\/em>\u2019s Prospects series takes a closer look at the defender, who has been likened to William Saliba in his style of play.<\/p>\n\n

The player<\/h2>\n

Name:<\/strong> Marli Salmon<\/p>\n

Club:<\/strong> Arsenal<\/p>\n

Date of birth:<\/strong> August 29, 2009 (16)<\/p>\n

Position:<\/strong> Defender<\/p>\n

The backstory<\/h2>\n

Born in Leytonstone, east London, Salmon joined the Arsenal academy in May, 2019 to play in the under-11s.<\/p>\n

Initially scouted as a striker, he immediately switched to central defence and has also played at right-back.<\/p>\n

His progress through the ranks has been impressive. Salmon has regularly played up age groups and featured in the FA Youth Cup against Manchester United last season as well as Premier League 2 and the UEFA Youth League.<\/p>\n

Aged 15, he was included in the Arsenal senior squad for a pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong last summer, where he featured in games against Milan and Newcastle United.<\/p>\n

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\n Salmon featured on Arsenal\u2019s pre-season tour last summer (Yong Teck Lim\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Salmon made his Arsenal first-team debut \u2014 and became the fourth-youngest ever to do so for Arsenal after fellow academy graduates Ethan Nwaneri, Max Dowman and goalkeeper Jack Porter \u2014 as an 83rd-minute substitute last December when he replaced Ben White in the Champions League win over Club Brugge.<\/p>\n

He has remained in and around the first team squad in training and has featured as a substitute in the FA Cup wins over Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic this season.<\/p>\n

He currently captains the under-21 side and was a member of the England under-17 squad that competed in the World Cup in Qatar last November.<\/p>\n

What we saw<\/h2>\n

Is this boy really only 16? That was the predominant feeling after watching an incredibly composed display by Salmon at Reading\u2019s Select Car Leasing Stadium.<\/p>\n

When Mikel Arteta handed him his debut in the Champions League earlier this season he said that he knew Salmon was ready, and he certainly looked like he was ready to step up from Premier League 2 level on this controlled and confident display.<\/p>\n

His decision to start juggling the ball in stoppage time with Arsenal home and dry with a 4-1 scoreline has captured the attention of many on social media, although it angered some of the Reading players.<\/p>\n

They may have felt it was disrespectful, but Arsenal had been that dominant and while the eye-catching moments in the game belonged to a couple of his team-mates \u2014 most notably Evan Mooney, who opened the scoring from ten yards inside the Reading \u2014 that moment did not paint the true picture of Salmon\u2019s display.<\/p>\n

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An Arsenal debut to remember.<\/p>\n

Marli Salmon becomes the fourth youngest player to feature for the Gunners ❤️ pic.twitter.com\/MAEu52dta3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Salmon is not the biggest central defender. He is 6ft 1in but of a slender build. His game is not about physically dominating his opponents, although he was up against a strong central striker in Reading\u2019s Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan and stood up well to the challenge when he needed to.<\/p>\n

It is his reading of the game and positioning that was most impressive, along with his calmness in possession. He always seemed to have time and was never panicked or rushed.<\/p>\n

Occasionally, if the opportunity arose, he would carry the ball out from the back and he beat three Reading players during one surging run in the first half, but then overhit his through-ball.<\/p>\n

He did seem to commit himself trying to win the ball back against Ehibhatiomhan deep into Reading\u2019s half. Although he initially won the challenge, Reading were able to break past him on that occasion, but that was probably the only time he committed himself with any level of impatience. There was also one strong last-ditch tackle to deny Ehibhatiomhan just before half-time.<\/p>\n

His confidence for someone so young was also evident in the second half as he was vocally organising those around him as well as providing calm assurance on the ball.<\/p>\n

Arsenal\u2019s first three goals were all quite special in their own way, and the second scored by 18-year-old Andre Harriman-Annous was a superb team goal that started with goalkeeper Porter, but Salmon did play a small part in the fourth, an unfortunate own goal by Reading\u2019s captain Philip Duah.<\/p>\n

At the end, Salmon rubbed a bit of salt into the wounds with his playful ball-juggling and was pushed over by frustrated Reading substitute Reece Evans, who was booked, but there was no denying how dominant both Arsenal and Salmon had been.<\/p>\n

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At his age, and with the support of Arteta, there is no question that Salmon could have a very bright future at Arsenal if he can continue this impressive progress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n