18yo opts to join Arsenal after leaving Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur defender Elijah Upson has chosen to join Arsenal, following in the footsteps of his father, according to a report.

16 Oct 2001: Matthew Upson of Arsenal wins the ball as Michalis Konstantinou of Panathinaikos dives out of his way during the UEFA Champions League Group C Stage One match between Arsenal and Panathinaikos at Highbury, London. Credit: Shaun Botterill/ALLSPORT — 16 Oct 2001: Matthew Upson of Arsenal wins the ball as Michalis Konstantinou of Panathinaikos dives out of his way during the UEFA Champions Leagu…

Simon Jones reports for the Daily Mail that Matthew Upson’s son Elijah has decided to join Arsenal, having come to the end of his contract with Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Elijah rejected a contract extension with Spurs and fielded offers from Chelsea, Manchester City, Everton, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, and AS Monaco.

But Jones reports that Upson Jr. visited Arsenal’s training ground on Wednesday and held talks with his family, and he’s now decided to join the Gunners this summer.

Elijah Upson with Spurs (Photo via SpursAcademy on Instagram) — Photo via SpursAcademy on Instagram

Given Upson’s age, Arsenal will now need to agree a training compensation fee with Spurs, so the deal isn’t done yet. But the player’s mind is made up.

The Premier League recently confirmed in their retained lists that Spurs had made Upson a new contract offer, but the club themselves announced that he rejected it and will leave.

Upson had been a regular starter for the Spurs academy for much of the 2025/26 campaign. The centre-back appeared in six of Spurs’ seven UEFA Youth League games, and he started 13 of their first 16 u18 Premier League fixtures of the season.

Of the three games he didn’t start, one was due to injury, one was because he was starting for the u21s, and he came off the bench as a substitute in the third (against Arsenal).

Andrea Berta, Arsenal Sporting Director looks on during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal at London Stadium on May 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) — Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

But speculation around Upson’s future seemingly hurt his gametime, as he suddenly dropped out of the squad in mid-February and didn’t return to it.

As well as playing for Spurs, Upson is an England youth international, making a couple of appearances for the England u18s in October, and receiving a call-up for the u17 World Cup in November. Unfortunately, he had to pull out with the same injury mentioned above.

Arsenal v Preston North End — 12 Oct 1999: Alex Mathie of Preston North End tries to hold off Matthew Upson and Stefan Malz of Arsenal during the Worthington Cup Third Round ma…

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