Charlie Gilmour has signed a pro contract at Arsenal. The youngster, who has clever feet and an eye for a pass made his under-18s debut last season and went on to make four appearances for Frans de Kat’s side.
Charlie is a Scotland under-17 international and has previously represented the Three Lions up to the under-16s.
A technically sound defensive midfielder, Charlie will be hoping to produce similarly assured displays this season.
Gilmour’s progression to professional terms leaves Nathan Tella, Kostas Pileas, Edward Nketiah and Joe Willock as the club’s remaining second-year scholars.
In a statement on the official website, the club said:
“Creative midfielder Charlie Gilmour has signed his first professional contract with the club.
“The 17-year-old made a strong start to life as an Arsenal scholar after graduating from Hale End in the summer of 2015.
“He made 15 under-18 appearances and scored his first goal for our academy last term.
“Charlie is a Scotland under-17 international, and has previously represented England at youth level.
“We’d like to congratulate Charlie on his new deal.”
Gilmour – Signed a professional contract today and signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Nike last year – owes much to his Glaswegian father Ian, who does some sterling scouting work for Arsenal and Scotland in addition to operating the Ian Gilmour Football Academy in Brighton.
Scott Booth, the under-16 Scotland coach said,
“He is great on the ball, has excellent technique, and is a stand-out for Arsenal’s age-group team where he is getting fantastic training and coaching. So he is definitely one to keep an eye on.”
Gilmour moved away from the family home to play with Arsenal’s under-15s and does his schooling three days a week at the youth academy. He met Arsene Wenger when he signed his deal and got pictures with guys like Jack Wilshere.
Now that he’s all grown up and signed a professional deal at the club, let’s hope he does well for the reserve team and we soon see him playing with the likes of Wilshere and co.
