Tottenham defender Elijah Upson has turned down the offer of a professional contract in order to join Arsenal.
The 18-year-old centre-back is the son of Matthew Upson, the former Arsenal and England defender.
His son seems set to follow in his footsteps, with the highly-rated defender prepared to move across north London to join his father’s former club.
Upson was offered a professional contract when his Tottenham scholarship terms expired on June 30, 2026, but turned down the offer and has since accepted a move to Arsenal.
Upson has been in Spurs’ academy system for several years but was not confident in his route to the first team, which has been obstructed somewhat this summer by the signings of Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke.
The July departure of academy transition coach Stuart Lewis, who was tasked with helping provide youth players a pathway into the first team, may also have swayed his decision.
Upson is believed to have turned down offers from various top clubs including Chelsea and Manchester City in order to join Arsenal, with clubs in Europe also said to have been keen. He was won over after visiting the club’s training ground with his family.
Several Arsenal academy graduates featured in the first team last season, with sensational 16-year-old winger Max Dowman chief among them. Also featuring semi-regularly were Marli Salmon and Andre Harriman-Annous, while Myles Lewis-Skelly has made himself a fixture under Mikel Arteta.
Matt Upson played 57 times in six years with Arsenal, during which time he also served loan spells with Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Reading. He retired in 2016 with 21 England caps under his belt.
