Miguel Azeez has signed for Portsmouth and will spend the season on loan.

Miguel Azeez via Portsmouth
Miguel Azeez via Portsmouth

Miguel Azeez will spend the season on loan with Portsmouth in League One, it was confirmed on Monday afternoon.

Before the summer really got going, it was reported that Arsenal were expecting to give Miguel Azeez more of a role with the first-team this season but it seems they have re-thought things.

The teenager made his Arsenal debut in the Europa League last season, and he enjoyed a strong campaign with the academy. Most recently, he scored a bit of a wonder-goal in his last game of 2020/21.

Azeez still has areas for improvement in his game, particularly when it comes to losing the ball in areas where he shouldn’t. But his quality is undeniable and it’s inevitable that he will end up getting a senior chance at Arsenal sooner or later.

Azeez told the Portsmouth site, “I’m really pleased to be here. There’s been a lot of buzz about this move and I’m grateful to the manager for giving me his trust.

“It’s important for me to get a lot of minutes this season and I’ve spoken to Emile about working with Danny.

“I got some really good feedback, so I’m looking forward to working with him and all the staff here at the club.

“I’ve been at Arsenal since the age of five and have had a lot of good coaches there to keep me grounded.

Miguel Azeez (Photo via Azeez on Instagram)
Miguel Azeez (Photo via Azeez on Instagram)

“Now I feel it’s important for me to get experience of men’s football and take the next step in my career.

“This is going to help me build – physically, mentally and tactically. I’m hopeful it can stand me in good stead.

“I’m a midfielder who likes to create and score goals, while always giving the best account of myself. I want to win every game that I play.

“I want to show the fans what I can bring to the team and help get Pompey back into the Championship.

“I’ve watched some of the games and seen the players that are here, so now I’m looking to getting out there in front of the fans.

“I’ve seen so many videos of them and the atmosphere looks crazy. I thrive on that and it was an important reason for me coming here.”

Speaking about the deal, Danny Cowley said, “This is a deal that we’ve been working on for the majority of the summer and so we’re delighted.

“Arsenal have been really good and we have to thank them for putting their trust in us with another young player.

“We’d worked with Emile Smith Rowe before and the loan manager Ben Knapper highlighted Miguel when we first arrived at Pompey, saying he was the next one for us to look after.

“So we’ve seen him develop since then and fallen in love with him – as you do when you see a boy who’s as talented as he is.

“You can see the hunger and humility to learn and get better, which we really like. He’s really studious and wants to find ways to improve his performance.

“We think the supporters will like Miguel and he’s very good at dribbling, while he can be a real goal threat for us as well.”