Josh Robinson has signed his first professional contract with Arsenal, preparing to step up to the u21s next season.

Arsenal have confirmed that Josh Robinson has signed his first professional contract with the club, seven years after initially joining in 2016.

“I’m very happy to reach this milestone,” Robinson told the club website.

“I feel like I’ve worked a lot and I’ve kind of deserved it and I’m just hungry for more.

“I have a lot of trust in the coach and staff. I feel like they’re very committed to making me a better player, so that’s why I decided to commit long-term.”

Robinson made 19 appearances between the u18 Premier League, the FA Youth Cup, and the Premier League 2 last season, though the majority of those were in Jack Wilshere’s u18 side.

The defender was a regular in the team that reached the Youth Cup final, playing every minute from the quarter-final onwards, as well as providing an assist against Millwall in Arsenal’s opening game of the competition.

Capable of playing at both right-back and centre-back, Robinson found himself in central positions more often in 2022/23, partly due to competition from Michal Rosiak on the right.

After the turn of the year, Robinson had made the centre-back position his own, and after 10 consecutive u18 league starts, he went on to start for the u21s on the final day of the Premier League 2 campaign.

Due to his age, Robinson will now step up to the u21s permanently.

The England u18 international already made an unofficial first-team appearance for Arsenal during pre-season in 2022, but he explained his game for those who haven’t seen him in action.

“I would say I’m a ball-playing centre-back. I like to drive out, I’m fast and I’m good at defending. I can carry the ball up the pitch quite well, so that’s how I’d describe myself.”