Arsenal have offered youth defender Will Sweet a professional contract with the club, according to a report.
Jeorge Bird of Arsenal Youth reports that Arsenal have offered a professional contract to academy centre-back Will Sweet, with the expectation that Louie Copley and Dan Casey will also be offered professional terms.
This is the time of year when these decisions are made, with players either offered professional terms or told that they’ll be allowed to leave when their scholarship contract runs out.
It’s no surprise that Sweet is among the first to receive an offer, having captained the Arsenal u18s for large parts of this season before progressing to a more regular role with the Arsenal u21s in recent months.
Sweet started nine of the Arsenal u21s’ final 10 games of the season, including the play-off fixtures against Newcastle United and Manchester City. Despite his centre-back role, he even provided two goals and two assists in his 10 total games for the team in 2024/25.
The Wales u19 international dropped back to the u18s for a few games here and there, including the u18 north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, the FA Youth Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, and the u18s’ final game against league champions Aston Villa.
But for the most part, Sweet has been an established u21 player since the start of February. Arsenal are simply looking to make that step up official with a new deal.
Sweet is now 18 years old, and his scholarship contract runs out this summer. If he chooses not to sign Arsenal’s offer of professional terms, he’ll be free to leave for a new club.