Mika Biereth signs for Arsenal from Fulham | OneFootball

Fulham academy striker Mika Biereth has signed for Arsenal, agreeing his first professional contract with the Gunners.

Mika Biereth with Arsenal (Photo via Arsenal.com)

Arsenal announced on Friday that Mika Biereth has joined the club and signed his first professional deal. The u18 Premier League south 2020/21 top scorer and division champion admitted he couldn’t say no to the club.

“It feels great and I’m really excited to be here,” Mika said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I couldn’t really turn it down. I think now with the recent track record of youth going into the first team, I thought it was a great project to try and be a part of.”

It’s obviously great to hear that young players still see Arsenal as a club that have that record of promoting youth. It’s no great surprise, with Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe playing such a key role last year, but it’s good that people are taking note of it.

The Athletic originally broke the news that Arsenal had signed Biereth. The striker turned down a professional contract with his former club, choosing to join Arsenal instead.

Biereth was arguably the standout player in u18 Premier League football last season. His tally of 21 goals in 21 games, with just two penalties, was the best in the south Division.

The striker added another 13 assists in those games, bringing him to a total of 34 league goals and assists – unmatched in the north or the south divisions. No one else got more than 30 in 2020/21.

With Tyreece John-Jules and Nikolaj Moller going on loan, and Folarin Balogun receiving a first-team promotion, there’s an opening for Biereth to play regularly with the u23s this season.

We might get our first look at the forward against Ebbsfleet United on Saturday (July 31st), but otherwise, he’s likely to make his debut against Boreham Wood next Friday (August 6th)