Arsenal congratulate duo after signing first professional contracts | OneFootball

Arsenal have signed youngsters Charlie Patino and Zane Monlouis to their first professional contracts.

The two players both turned 17 earlier in the week, the minimum age a player must be before being able to sign a pro deal, and the club have wasted little time to agree their deals.

Zane is a young centre-back who is a regular in the England Under-17 setup and for Arsenal Under-18s, and the official website states that he is ‘known for his composure on the ball’.

Patino on the other hand is the more talked about of the two, with The Guardian recently naming him in their Next Generation 2020 list of youngsters of ones to watch.

Charlie also plays for the England Under-18 side as confirmed by Arsenal’s official site upon his signing, having previously captains the Under-16 group at the age of only 14 years-old, and is believed to be ahead of his years.

The pair will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of first-team stars Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock, Hector Bellerin and Reiss Nelson, who all came through the ranks before getting their chance to shine in the first-team.

Both the Spaniard and Saka both started in the weekend’s Premier League clash away to Manchester City, highlighting their importance within the club, and one can only hope for a similar path to the first-team for the young duo.

Neither has been selected for a senior matchday squad for the senior side as of yet, but there could well be a place for one or both in one of the cup competitions, or possibly in the Europa League if they can convince manager Mikel Arteta that they deserve it.

Could the Europa League be the youngsters’ best chance at featuring for the senior side this season?

Patrick