Arsenal’s Rising Star Marli Salmon and What the Future Holds

Marli Salmon got a standing ovation when he left the field against Como David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

When recalling recent Arsenal academy graduates to make it in the first team, technical midfielders and wingers may spring to mind before defensive names.

Some have played in defence for the first team, such as Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ainsley Maitland-Niles — and it used to be more common — but how often do defenders now make it all the way from Hale End to the Emirates?

The truth is, not many.

Marli Salmon, who turns 17 this month, made four competitive first-team appearances last season after travelling to Arsenal’s pre-season tour to Asia aged 15. This summer, he has done himself no harm in Arsenal’s return to north London for the end of their pre-season.

His two performances at the Emirates Stadium against Borussia Dortmund and Como were arguably the brightest moments of Arsenal’s 2026-27 preparations, but do not be surprised; that is a stage the young centre-back has flourished on before.

Born in the same calendar year (2009) as last season’s breakout star Max Dowman, Salmon’s development has run steadily alongside the midfielder’s. Both of their first appearances at the Emirates came as 15-year-olds in a FA Youth Cup quarter-final against Manchester United for Arsenal Under-18s in February 2025. Dowman stole the show with an excellent pitch-long dribble to win a penalty, but as he did over the past week, Salmon calmly and quietly went about his business to show why Dowman was not the only boy playing three years above his age that night.

The young centre-back displayed qualities that evening that were impressive for his age. He chose the right moments to stand off his man rather than dive into a tackle, was dominant in the air, read play well and still made an impression with quick reactions to make strong sliding tackles when necessary — one of which he smartly played off a Manchester United forward to win a goal kick for Arsenal.

The fact he has replicated these moments against seasoned pros in the past week is an encouraging sign.

Brought on for 30 minutes against Dortmund, the 16-year-old made an immediate impact by darting ahead of 30-year-old Serhou Guirassy, who has scored 60 goals in two seasons with the German club, to slide and keep Arsenal on the attack. That was undoubtedly the biggest cheer from a sub-par collective performance until the youngster was forced into a one-on-one sprint with the striker and won out with another sliding challenge.

He was also willing to follow Guirassy into his own half, and despite being unfortunate to give away a foul on one occasion, continued to do so when Como came to town in midweek.

Below, Salmon steps up to make the initial challenge on halfway and tracks the ball when it is moved across to make the tackle on the touchline.

Later in the half, he defends slightly differently, rushing forward and then halting to read the play and stop a Como attack gaining any momentum.

It is refreshing to talk about defensive actions first when discussing a defender. There have been moments when Salmon has needed to be covered by his defensive partners, but for the most part, he reads the game well and is not scared to intervene on the ground or in the air.

As with any centre-back who wants to play under Arteta, composure on the ball is needed, and Salmon has that in abundance. There were several moments against Dortmund and Como where a quick drop of the shoulder created an extra yard or two for him to bring the ball forward, but the standout example came in the second half against Como when he had just received a sharp pass with his back to the opposition goal.

Salmon was trusted to stay on the pitch until the 87th minute against Como, when he came off to an ovation from the home crowd.

“First of all, the courage that he plays with,” Arteta said when asked what he likes about the teenager as a player and person. “Second, how fast he learns, because sometimes at that age it takes weeks and months to develop certain things. He picks things [up] really quickly. He’s a really smart boy, he really wants it. He’s 16 years old, and some of the individual actions that he’s done today, I think he was exceptional.”

It was fitting that the other manager in the Emirates dugout this weekend was Cesc Fabregas. Now Como manager, Fabregas was 16 when he made his Arsenal debut in 2003, and 17 when he embarked on his first season as a starter in 2004-05.

Watching on as Arsenal’s current 16-year-olds made their marks, he said: “It’s amazing because that’s what it’s all about. Hale End does an amazing job. There is a lot of talent, but if you don’t trust and play them, these talents get lost in the process and that’s a big shame. I had a chance to say ‘well done’ to them, but keep going and keep pushing yourself because it’s a long career full of ups and downs. They need to accept that not everything will be easy.

“I was so lucky because I wasn’t alone. There was Philippe Senderos, Gael Clichy and Johan Djourou, so I was one of four young players in the squad. The rest, you can remember who they were, they were proper champions.”

Salmon could benefit in the same way by having Dowman, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri around him, but while the past week has seemed like a clear upward trajectory, he will already be mindful of the first part of Fabregas’ answer about ups and downs.

One of his four appearances last season came away to Mansfield Town in the FA Cup, where a heavily rotated Arsenal team were put under significant pressure in an unfamiliar environment. Playing at right-back, Salmon had some nice flashes during the game, but also made a mistake which directly led to a Mansfield goal.

Arteta’s response?

“I could sense that he was (feeling) responsible. And it is good in a way, but don’t lose perspective because everybody that has been in that room at this level has made an error, a mistake or a situation leading to a goal. But that’s not important. The important thing is the way he played and some of the things that he’s done on the pitch. I think that’s much more important than the other parts.”

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What does the future hold for Salmon?

What first-team opportunities will Salmon get this season?Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images

The ramping-up of Salmon’s senior exposure will be intriguing compared to recent breakthrough prospects.

Opportunities to gain experience as a youngster tend to be easier for those in midfield and forward positions, like Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri.

There is much less room for error in defence, and there were times last season when he appeared to need a bigger challenge than Under-21s football. For instance, when leading 4-1 away to Reading, he performed kick-ups on the halfway line in a similar fashion to Rayan Cherki’s against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. Captain on the night, as he was for nine games last season, he was shoved to the ground for his antics.

As for what that bigger challenge may look like, earlier this week The Athletic reported that despite being eligible for a loan move when he turns 17 on August 29, Arsenal plan to keep Salmon until at least January.

“He‘s in and around the first team,” Arteta said on what role Salmon may play this season. “We know that the circumstances are what they are (William Saliba being out injured), that’s the context that is allowing him to play more minutes. If there were other players, it would be more difficult. That doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t get the chance to do so. But what he’s proved in the last few weeks is that he’s reliable, and when we want him to play, he can do a job.”

Sometimes, injuries elsewhere are what youngsters need to show their qualities in the first team. As one door closes, another can open, and that could be the case for Salmon during the first half of the 2026-27 season.

But how far that door opens may depend on whether Arsenal do sign a new defender while Saliba is recovering from his back injury.

If anything, with Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White and Jurrien Timber already able to play ahead of him without Saliba, Arsenal’s interest in centre-backs over right-backs feels even more confusing than when the issue was discussed last month.

Source: nytimes