North London heist! Arsenal agree deal to sign Tottenham sensation Elijah Upson on a free transfer

Despite being highly rated in Tottenham’s academy, Upson’s route to the first team had become increasingly difficult. Spurs strengthened their defence with the arrivals of Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, leaving the youngster behind established options including Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso and Cristian Romero.

Although Romero has been linked with Inter and Barcelona, Upson chose to continue his development elsewhere. Arsenal’s record of promoting young talent under Arteta is believed to have been a key attraction, with players such as Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, Max Dowman and Marli Salmon all progressing into the senior set-up.