James Hillson has signed for Southend United following his departure from Arsenal, ending a five-year spell in north London.

23-year-old Arsenal academy goalkeeper James Hillson officially left the club this summer, and he’s now signed for National League club Southend United.

Southend confirmed the deal on Saturday, writing that they’ve brought in the keeper to provide competition for Collin Andeng Ndi, handing him the number 25.

One other point to note in Southend’s announcement is that they’ve signed Hillson on non-contract terms. That means he’s eligible to play for the club but hasn’t entered into a written employment contract.

Most likely, this means Hillson will be paid according to the appearances he makes and other bonuses, rather than earning a weekly wage.

Hillson confirmed his Arsenal departure back in June, sharing a farewell on Instagram after the Gunners officially announced his release.

“Thank you to everyone at Arsenal, including the coaching staff, players and everyone in between for making my last 5 years such a great experience,” Hillson wrote.

“I’m excited to see where my next journey takes me.”

The goalkeeper joined Arsenal from Reading in 2019, initially playing his football for the Gunners’ u18 side before stepping up to the u21s.

Despite never playing for Mikel Arteta’s senior side, Hillson was named in the first-team squad four times, and on many other occasions he was involved in training or travelling to matches as the third-choice emergency goalkeeper.

The goalkeeper was clearly popular at Arsenal, based on the replies to his farewell post.

Aaron Ramsdale responded to say “Good luck, ledge” and David Raya wrote “All the best, mate”, with Gunners legend David Seaman replying “Good luck, pinger!!!”.

They’ll be wishing him well on his new adventure with Southend United now.