The son of a Champions League winning Chelsea hero has decided to leave the club and join Premier League rivals Arsenal.
On Saturday, it was announced that Marcell Washington had signed a professional contract with Arsenal after spending last season on trial at the club.
‘My ambitions are just to prove in every game you play and every training session you have,’ the 17-year-old said.
‘I think football is all about proving. I feel like just because I’ve signed this contract doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ve made it.
‘I think I’ve got a lot to prove and I’m looking forward to doing that. Hopefully, obviously, the coaching staff can see that through my game.
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‘It’s a very welcoming club. From day one when I came here, I felt really welcomed. That goes from the staff to the players.
‘I think it’s a really big club, obviously. The club are always striving to win trophies. I’m just looking to be an addition to that and see what I can offer the club.’
Washington joins the Gunners having come through Chelsea’s academy, following in the footsteps of his father, former England defender Ryan Bertrand.
Bertrand, who retired from football last year, spent nearly a decade at Stamford Bridge, winning the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League.
Most notably, he made his UCL debut in the 2012 final against Bayern Munich, starting the game out of position on the left-wing and helping Roberto Di Matteo’s side win on penalties
Capped 19 times by the Three Lions, he moved to Southampton in 2014 where he established himself as one of the Premier League’s top left-backs before ending his career with Leicester City.
‘I think it’s been such an honour to have him take me through clips and walk me through games that I’ve played,’ Washington said of his dad.
‘He’s really passionate about making me a better player and probably a better version of him. We might have a bit of an argument about it but you get it out of him.’
Earlier this summer, Chelsea star Raheem Sterling’s son Thiago joined Arsenal’s academy after his dad spent last season on loan at the Emirates.
And just last week, Damian Cech, son of former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech, signed his first pro contract with London rivals Fulham.
Like his dad, Washington is a full-back and is relishing the chance to train and play alongside the likes of Jurrien Timber, Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
‘They’re all great players that play in and around my position, which I think is a really good thing and training with them and getting the opportunities is really good as well, because you obviously want to learn from players with such experience and such high skill with all of the games.’
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