Mikel Arteta’s son Gabriel has made another appearance for the Arsenal u17s, playing in a friendly match against Shrewsbury Town.
Jeorge Bird reports for Arsenal Youth that Mikel Arteta’s son Gabriel Arteta Bernal made an appearance for the Arsenal u17s against Shrewsbury Town earlier this month.
The friendly match reportedly ended 1-1, and it represented Gabriel’s second recent appearance for the Arsenal academy side.
The 16-year-old also featured in a 3-3 Premier League Cup draw with Watford back in October, with still no confirmation that he’ll sign a contract with the club. If he did, he’d be a first-year scholar.
The teenage winger has also linked up with Arsenal pre-season training camps in the past, though his involvement in pre-season training in 2023 was actually helping out the coaching staff, rather than joining in with the drills as a player.
On top of that, Arsenal generally use rotated teams in the Premier League Cup and friendly matches, so it’s not a surprise that Gabriel got his first opportunities to play for the Gunners in those circumstances.
Arsenal have a very competitive academy system, and if Gabriel does enough to earn a contract then it will be because he deserves one. But again, at this stage, there’s no suggestion he’s about to sign on permanently.