Arsenal have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Jaden Dixon on a multi-year contract just hours ahead of the transfer deadline. Dixon, a former Tottenham academy player, moved to Stoke City as a youngster and caught the eye since breaking into the first team.
The 18-year-old is also an England youth international and has been capped at under-17, under-18 and under-19 levels. The London-born star, who plays as a defender, made his professional debut in the EFL Cup against Carlisle United last season.
It’s reported by Fabrizio Romano that a four-year deal has been struck between Arsenal and Dixon, with Stoke expected to bank a fee in the region of £3.2million. The signing is viewed as a coup for the Emirates Stadium outfit, as they’re believed to have beaten several top clubs to secure the teenager’s services.
Dixon is unlikely to play a key role in the Arsenal first team this season, even though Mikel Arteta had hinted at bringing in reinforcements ahead of Monday’s deadline. It came after the Gunners were rocked by news that Mikel Merino is expected to be out of action for some time with an injury.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s League Cup semi-final second-leg with Chelsea, he said: “We need to do everything that we possibly can to see if we have a player that is available. If we don’t, OK, we keep what we have. At this level, especially for four months, you have to bring a player who has the capacity to adapt immediately and impact the team. That’s not easy but if it was easy we wouldn’t be here. We need to find solutions and try.”
He continued: “We have more depth now but for seven months we haven’t had the depth because we had players out, like a lot of teams. We know the demands and the standards that we need. We need players because we play every two, three days.
“We are always active in every window that we have just in case something happens. We had the departure of Ethan as well to Marseille for the right reasons I believe for the club, player and team. The news of Mikel was very unexpected, especially for such a long time. So we are actively looking at options, we will continue to do that.”