Former Gunner signs for Plymouth Argyle after terrible time in Germany | OneFootball

Once highly rated at Arsenal, Bradley Ibrahim now gets a fresh start in the Championship after an ill-fated spell abroad and a relegation scrap at Crawley.

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Bradley Ibrahim has signed a four-year deal with Plymouth Argyle, marking a permanent return to English football after a difficult and ultimately fruitless stint with Hertha Berlin.

The 20-year-old midfielder joins the Championship club for a reported fee of around £250,000, having most recently spent the season on loan at Crawley Town after failing to make a senior appearance in Germany.

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Once considered among the most promising players in Arsenal’s academy, Ibrahim’s career has taken an erratic path since captaining the Under-18s to the 2023 FA Youth Cup final under Jack Wilshere. That campaign ended in a heavy 5–1 defeat to West Ham United, and while Ibrahim went on to sign his first professional deal with Arsenal, he never made a competitive senior appearance.

Photo via Arsenal.com

In February 2024, Ibrahim left Arsenal for Hertha Berlin on a free transfer. His time in Germany was short-lived and starkly underwhelming. He managed just 12 appearances for Hertha’s Under-23 side in the Regionalliga, the fourth tier of German football.

Reports from Germany indicated serious concerns about his positional awareness and physical attributes, with Pál Dárdai‘s coaching staff questioning his ability to cope with the tempo of senior football. He was left out of the squad entirely for the last five matches of the season in his first season before going on loan.

Hertha’s expectations had been high. Ibrahim was seen as a low-cost, high-upside gamble, but the club quickly lost faith. His disciplinary record, including eight yellow cards in those 12 games, only exacerbated concerns, and by the end of the season he had fallen completely out of favour.

His loan spell at Crawley offered a partial reset. While Scott Lindsey’s side were ultimately relegated to League Two, Ibrahim featured regularly, making 37 appearances and scoring twice. However, his 17 yellow cards highlight a continued lack of control in midfield, something that will need refining if he is to succeed in the Championship.

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“I am very pleased that Bradley has agreed to join us,” said David Fox, Argyle’s head of football operations. “He is someone we identified during last season with the profile of being strong, powerful, a good tackler, and at an age where he is improving rapidly.”

Ibrahim’s signing may also be a prelude to a reunion with Wilshere. The former Arsenal midfielder is currently out of work after a brief stint as caretaker manager at Norwich City, and is understood to be one of the frontrunners to replace Miron Muslic at Plymouth following his departure. Wilshere has strong backing internally at Home Park, though former Watford boss Tom Cleverley and Ian Evatt are also under consideration.

Ibrahim’s arrival represents Plymouth’s fourth signing of the summer. Despite a career that has veered off course since his days at Hale End, the move offers him a genuine opportunity to rebuild.

At just 20, time is still on his side.