Confirmed: Ismail Oulad M’hand, Salah-Eddine, Okonkwo, Quesada-Thorn and Forde to leave Arsenal

Arsenal have confirmed that a host of youngsters will leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of this month, with brothers Ismail Oulad M’hand and Salah-Eddine amongst them. Goalkeeper Brian Okonkwo will also depart along with left-back Elian Quesada-Thorn, while winger Romari Forde will leave following the expiry of his scholarship. As […]

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Arsenal have confirmed that a host of youngsters will leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of this month, with brothers Ismail Oulad M’hand and Salah-Eddine amongst them.

Goalkeeper Brian Okonkwo will also depart along with left-back Elian Quesada-Thorn, while winger Romari Forde will leave following the expiry of his scholarship.

As previously revealed, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, Khayon Edwards, Jimi Gower and Jack Henry-Francis will all depart along with scholars Reece Clairmont, Jakai Fisher, Max Kuczynski and Zac Shuaib.

The club are in discussions with Michal Rosiak regarding a new contract. Rosiak impressed for the U21s last season and was also named on the bench for the first-team away to Real Madrid.

Second year scholars Dan Casey, Louie Copley, Cam’ron Ismail, Daniel Oyetunde and Will Sweet are all set to be offered professional contracts.

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All images via Arsenal

Ismail Oulad M’hand

A skilful midfielder, Oulad M’hand joined Arsenal in 2021 having previously been at Feyenoord’s academy.

He featured for Arsenal at U21, U19 and U18 levels and was called up for a first-team friendly but perhaps didn’t get the opportunities he deserved.

Salah-Eddine

Another talented midfielder like his brother, Salah-Eddine was at Arsenal for five years. He was named on the bench for the first-team but didn’t make the breakthrough despite consistently impressing for the U21s.

In 2022 he joined Hull City with an option to buy but didn’t make an appearance due to injury. He later had a loan spell at Den Bosch.

Brian Okonkwo

Goalkeeper Okonkwo gained first-team experience during loan spells at Hitchin Town (twice), Cheshunt and Leatherhead. He also played seven times for Arsenal U21s.

Elian Quesada-Thorn

An attack-minded left-back who was called up by Costa Rica at senior level, Quesada-Thorn played 17 times for Arsenal U21s.

As a result of injuries he perhaps didn’t feature as much as he deserved to for the second-string.

Romari Forde

A winger who was previously at Watford’s academy, Forde also frequently struggled with injuries.

After his scholarship deal was extended into a third year he scored for the U21s against Tottenham last season.

Nathan Butler-Oyedeji

One of the longest-serving players in the academy, Butler-Oyedeji departs having made his Premier League debut against Ipswich Town, while he also featured against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.

Butler-Oyedeji also had loan spells at Accrington Stanley and Cheltenham Town. He scored 23 goals in 64 appearances for Arsenal U21s.

Khayon Edwards

Another long-serving forward who was prolific for Arsenal at youth level, Edwards progressed through the ranks at the academy and was named on the bench for the first-team in 2022. He also spent time on loan at Leyton Orient.

Edwards netted 26 goals in 57 games for the U21s having also scored 23 times in 41 appearances at U18 level.

Jimi Gower

A hard-working midfielder, Gower was regularly called up to the first-team squad towards the end of the season, including for the game away to Real Madrid.

He was a mainstay in the U21 team having previously been part of the U18 squad that reached the FA Youth Cup final in the 2022/23 season.

Jack Henry-Francis

Henry-Francis, another talented midfielder, enhanced his game during a loan spell at Sligo Rovers and then returned to Arsenal, where he was named on the bench for the first-team for games including clashes against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

He seems well equipped for a career in senior football and featured for the Arsenal first-team in pre-season in 2021.

Reece Clairmont

Skilful winger Clairmont wasn’t afforded many chances for the U18s but he was involved in a first-team training session last season. He played for West Ham U18s while on trial.

Jakai Fisher

Another winger who had limited chances despite his impressive technical ability, Fisher had a trial at Charlton Athletic towards the end of last season.

Max Kuczynski