Arsenal youngsters Seb Ferdinand and Josh Nichols have been offered professional deals by the club, according to a report.

Jeorge Bird reports for Arsenal Youth that Arsenal academy youngsters Seb Ferdinand and Josh Nichols have been offered professional contracts by the club.

Neither player was included on Arsenal’s list of released players on Monday, despite their scholarship deals coming to an end this summer, so it certainly seems as though they’re set to receive new contracts.

Nichols was heavily involved in match action for the academy teams this season, so a new contract was relatively predictable in his case.

The 17-year-old full-back made 31 appearances for Arsenal, starting out with the u18 team but stepping up to the u21s more and more regularly as the campaign progressed.

From March onwards, Nichols appeared in seven of the u21s’ eight games, dropping down for an u18 match just once.

As for Ferdinand, the 18-year-old winger has initially involved on a regular basis for Arsenal this season, making 17 appearances before the turn of the year. He directly contributed to seven goals in 939 minutes before January 1st.

But injuries hampered Ferdinand in the second half of the campaign, and he played just 17 minutes in one start at the end of March.

In Ferdinand’s case, the new deal is a sign of the respect Arsenal have for his abilities when fit, and they’ll hope he can be available more often next year if he signs.