Arsenal’s Academy has been producing one incredible young player after another in recent years.
Hale End is up there with the best youth setups in the country, and the way the Gunners are developing youngsters there is just remarkable.
Bukayo Saka is Arsenal’s biggest success story on that front, while the Gunners have saved millions in the transfer market thanks to the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Whatever the Gunners are doing behind the scenes in their academy is working, and they have now continued their good work by tying down an excellent young player to a new contract.
Arsenal extend Alexei Rojas’ contract and agree to promote him to the first-team
Alexei Rojas Fedorushchenko joined Arsenal from Chelsea’s academy in 2019.
The Colombia U20 international goalkeeper has developed brilliantly in the Gunners’ youth setup and has impressed the coaching staff at the club.
In a behind-the-scenes video released earlier in March, Rojas revealed that he has been training with the Arsenal first team every day.
Now, AS Colombia have revealed that Arsenal have extended Rojas’ contract. His old deal was set to expire in 2026, but the Gunners have put their trust in him and secured his future.
The report claims that Rojas will also be promoted to the Arsenal first team in the 2025/26 season.
That means the Colombian will likely start the campaign as the club’s third-choice goalkeeper, behind David Raya and whoever Mikel Arteta will sign as the Spaniard’s backup.
The report adds that Rojas, after signing his new deal, wants to make his senior Arsenal debut ‘as soon as possible’.
Rojas’ promotion is bad news for one Arsenal player
If Rojas does get promoted to Arsenal’s first team next season, that means one of the other goalkeepers on the club’s books will have to consider their options.
Tommy Setford and Lucas Nygaard are still young and will likely continue their development with the youth sides – or one of them could even go out on loan.
The keeper who is already out on loan – Karl Hein – may have to consider his future with the club following his spell at Real Valladolid.
The Estonia international Hein impressed in Arsenal’s colours during friendlies, and many fans felt he had what it takes to play for the club one day.
However, with Rojas getting a new deal and reportedly receiving a promotion to the first-team, 22-year-old Hein’s future appears to lie away from the Emirates, which is bad news for him.
