Arsenal appear to have ended any fears over losing emerging striker Khayon Edwards to Chelsea by securing him to a long-term contract.
Khayon Edwards was on scholarship terms with Arsenal that were due to reach an end imminently. After his impressive form for their under-18s – for whom he has 16 goals from 16 league games this season – his future became a priority issue within the club’s long-term planning.
The 18-year-old was attracting rivals Chelsea and fellow Premier League outfit Brighton, while there was also interest from abroad. But according to The Athletic, Arsenal have now managed to get Edwards to sign a new contract.
His new deal will last until 2025, but he will not yet be a part of their first-team squad, nor will he go out on loan. Instead, he will continue his development with their under-23s setup.
He appeared in that age bracket in January, scoring in his first Premier League 2 appearance of the campaign against West Ham. He has played once more in that particular competition since, having only done so before in November 2020. There could be a lot more to come.
The update comes after an injury prematurely ended his campaign, but allowed Arsenal to step up negotiations. A positive conclusion came last week when he put pen to paper.
No specific timeline for him to knock on the door of Mikel Arteta’s first team is yet mapped out. But he is someone the club believe in and they have shown it with this new deal.
In turn, Edwards’ suitors like Chelsea and Brighton will not be able to capitalise on an opportunity that is no longer open to them. Whether they will come to regret that in the future, only time will tell.
At senior level, meanwhile, doubts remain over the shape of Arsenal’s frontline. Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are both out of contract at the end of the season.
If both leave, there will be a void to fill. With that in mind, the club must work to avoid similar situations in future by forward planning.
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