Arsenal youngster Sam Chapman has left the Gunners’ academy to join the Georgia Southern University Men’s Soccer team, with his new side confirming the transfer.
Posting on social media, the official account of the Georgia Southern University Men’s Soccer team confirmed that Arsenal youth defender Sam Chapman has signed for them, ending his association with the Gunners’ academy teams.
Jeorge Bird reports for Arsenal Youth that Chapman’s Arsenal contract had been set to expire at the end of June anyway, so he’s only cut his deal short by a couple of months.
It’s not uncommon for young players approaching the ends of their academy contracts to go out on trials and sign for new clubs before the formal end date of their existing deals.
18-year-old centre-back Chapman had spent most of this season playing for the Arsenal u18s, making 10 starts and two substitute appearances for the team across all competitions.
Though the defender’s minutes had dried up a bit recently, he did make his u21 debut for Arsenal in a match away to Sunderland last month.
But rather than being a sign of an imminent promotion, it seems that appearance was effectively a farewell game for the teenager, and he’s now moving across the Atlantic to play his football in the United States university system.
Georgia Southern competed in the Sun Belt Conference in 2025, finishing fourth in the standings before being eliminated from the play-offs by eventual title winners UCF Knights. Chapman will hope to help them win the title this time around.