Mikel Arteta's eldest son, Gabriel Arteta Bernal, has taken another step up the Arsenal academy ladder by making his debut for the club's Under-18s. The 16-year-old came off the bench in the 70th minute of Wednesday's 3-0 win over Reading at Bearwood Park.
Gabriel, who is more of a winger unlike his father's central midfield role, played alongside Emerson Nwaneri, brother of Arsenal's youngest ever player Ethan Nwaneri. This was his first competitive outing for the U18s, having previously been an unused substitute in a friendly against Ipswich Town in February.
His appearance follows his competitive debut for the U17s in October, when he played in the Premier League Cup against Watford. Gabriel was born in 2009 while Arteta was playing for Everton, but has spent most of his life in north London. He also accompanied the first team on their pre-season trip to the United States in 2023 as an assistant to the coaching staff.
Arsenal have also strengthened their academy recruitment team by appointing Dean Barker, formerly QPR's head of emerging talent. Barker previously worked as a PE teacher at the same school that produced Ethan Nwaneri, who is currently on loan at Marseille.
The club's academy has produced stars like Bukayo Saka, who recently signed a contract until 2030, and more recently Max Dowman, who became the Premier League's youngest ever goalscorer. Arteta has previously expressed his ambition to build a team that is half-academy and half-foreign, capable of winning the Premier League and Champions League consistently.
