(Pictures) Arsenal Confirm Latest Pro Signing – A Centre Back/Holding Midfielder

George Dobson is the latest teenager to come out of the youth ranks at Arsenal as the club offered him a professional contract recently. The 17-year old had impressed for the u18 and the u19 teams last season which earned him a debut with the u21 side in September this year. He made 19 appearances for the u18 side last season and also managed to chip in with three goals.

The club stated on their website, “Everyone at Arsenal would like to congratulate George on his first professional contract. We look forward to his continued progression with the club.”

Who is George Dobson?

It’s somewhat early to predict whether Dobson will become a star in the future, but the signs are definitely there. Dobson is said to have impressed the youth coaches with his versatility of playing either as a center back or as a holding midfielder and the ease in which he slots in at those positions.

Arsene Wenger could slowly introduce him into the main team in the coming years as he relies heavily on youth. Dobson has developed nicely under Steve Gatting’s mentorship, the u18 Arsenal manager. The 17-year old is said to have good leadership skill and doesn’t shy away from making tackles when his side needs him to. He also has very good passing skills, a key ingredient in the Gunners’ style of play.

Dobson has appeared three times in the UEFA youth League this season as injury had cut short his good progress. He was part of his side’s 5-1 demolition of Galatasaray in October. His absence was felt in the defeat against Anderlecht as his side conceded four goals against the Belgian opposition. With a little bit of fine tuning, he could be ready to follow the footsteps of the likes of Serge Gnabry, Jack Wilshere and Ignasi Miquel who have made it into the 1st team from the youth squads.