Arsenal have reached a breakthrough in talks with Josh Ogunnaike, with the youth defender officially signing a new contract to stay at the club.
When Arsenal confirmed their ‘released list’ in June, they mentioned that three players’ futures remained uncertain at the time of publication. All three had contracts expiring at the end of the month, but they remained in negotiations over new deals.
The first was Caitlin Foord, who extended soon afterwards. But Alex Marciniak and Josh Ogunnaike both remained out of contract for the first couple of weeks of July, and they didn’t return to pre-season training with the u21s.
But there’s finally been a positive update on one of the two cases, with Arsenal confirming that Ogunnaike has signed his first professional contract.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Ogunnaike said. “I’ve got my family here, I’ve got the people closest to me that see me every day, and I’m grateful for this moment.
“Grateful to God, grateful for all the people that have helped me along the journey, so we just continue. We all feel blessed.
“The hard work that’s been put in been put in from all of us, the sacrifices on their end, the hard work on my end, it’s all pieced together.”
Ogunnaike will be straight back into action with Arsenal, as he’s been named in their u21 squad for the friendly match against Boreham Wood on Friday night.
Arsenal will now try to convince Marciniak to sign up as well, or risk losing him for a training compensation fee. Given his age, Marciniak wouldn’t be a ‘free agent’ as such, as interested clubs would still need to agree a fee with Arsenal to avoid a tribunal.
Dan Casey’s move to Crystal Palace fell apart last year after club-to-club talks, despite the player being out of contract with Arsenal. He ended up joining Fulham later in the 2025/26 season.
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