How ‘driven competitor’ Ejeheri can break into Arsenal’s first team – Mertesacker

Per Mertesacker is not ruling out Ovie Ejeheri’s potential to break into Arsenal’s first team, and, he reveals what the goalkeeper must do to make that a reality.

The teenager – who has been with the Gunners from age eight - recently signed his first professional contract with the Premier League outfit thanks to the steady growth that saw him promoted to the U18 team in 2019.

His amazing talent saw him invited to England’s training camp for goalkeepers in 2020 and he has been tipped to follow the footsteps of Arthur Okonkwo who is now a member of the club’s senior team having gone through the youth ranks.

The former Germany international - who is now the academy head of the North London side – has stated that Ejeheri has the potential to reach greater heights.

“Ovie has the chance to break into the first team, all of our young pros have a chance if they work hard enough, however understanding the stage of the journey that he is on is key at the moment,” Mertesacker told Goal, as per Utmostt Sports Management.

“There will be a lot of exposure to senior games needed for a young talented goalkeeper to gain trust and earn the right to be a first-choice goalkeeper at the highest level.

“He will need to go through his learning journey, which will be based on hard work, a lot of mistakes and never stop driving to achieve his goal.

“He will need to go through these in order to be successful in football and if not, we have a humble person with a multitude of skills who will find another place to be great at!

“This is why we holistically support our young players to be ‘strong young gunners’, we help them make their own path and have the skills that they need to be successful and happy on or off the pitch.”

The former Germany international talks about the development of the youngster at the Arsenal youth team and what the future holds for him.

“Ovie has been with us for 10 years already and he has developed through our academy ranks with his dedication and passion. He gives his best on a daily basis,” he continued.

“There have been ups and downs on his journey so far - many really positive football performances and then some injuries that have kept him out of the game for a while.

“He grew through these times with his support network and a team of passionate academy staff that cared for him, and he is stronger now for it.

“Ovie is a driven competitor who works really hard. He will create his own pathway to achieve his personal best.

“We will support him along the way and help him navigate any opportunities that he is able to take.”

Born in Greenwich, London to a Nigerian father and a mother from Uganda, the goalkeeper could spark a selection battle between Uganda, Nigeria and England in future.