Arsenal have made Daniel Ballard the 11th scholar they’ve taken on this summer after they handed the 16-year-old terms.

Ballard came through the Hale End Academy and Arsenal have only just confirmed the news despite reports coming through two weeks ago that the contract had been signed.

Initially told he was going to be released by the club, the centre back was allegedly given a final chance to prove himself against Bayern Munich and then handed a two-year deal which all sounds a little unlikely if you ask me. Would Arsenal really change their mind to such a degree that they went from releasing a player to giving him a contract on the back of one game of football?

The 10 other scholars to have been signed up are Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith-Rowe, Nathan Tormey, Josh Benson, Robbie Burton, Joseph Olowu, Toby Omole. Jay Beckford, Dominic Thompson and Joao Virginia.

2016/17 ⚽️❤️ Looking forward to the next 2 years with Arsenal FC. Good to be back!

A photo posted by Daniel Ballard (@dgballard) on