The son of a former England international and World Cup star has left Tottenham’s academy to sign for arch-rivals Arsenal.
It was announced in June that Elijah Upson had turned down a professional contract with Spurs and would be leaving the club after 11 years in their academy.
Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton were interested in the 18-year-old, who also had admirers from Europe in the form of Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco.
But on Saturday, Fabrizio Romano reported that the centre-back had penned a deal with the Gunners which will be officially announced in due course.
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As Upson is under 24, Tottenham will be due compensation from Arsenal, but this news, somewhat reminiscent of Sol Campbell’s infamous transfer across north London, will be a bitter blow.
Further reports say that Elijah made his decision after visiting Arsenal’s London Colney training ground and consulting with his family – including his father, former Gunners defender Matthew Upson.
Matthew, also a centre-back, spent six years with Arsenal, winning the Premier League title in 2002, before going onto play for the likes of Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and West Ham.
He also won 21 caps for England and was part of Fabio Capello’s 2010 World Cup squad, scoring in the infamous 4-1 defeat to Germany in South Africa.
It remains to be seen whether Elijah can break into Arsenal’s first-team, especially with Mikel Arteta looking to sign a new centre-back this summer.
With William Saliba is expected to miss the start of the new season and could undergo surgery after a long-term back injury worsened while playing at the World Cup in North America.
It is said that Arteta is looking at Three Lions star Ezri Konsa but Aston Villa’s high valuation may prove a stumbling block.
The club have also been linked with former star Konstantinos Mavropanos, as well as top Chelsea target Maxence Lacroix.
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