# Marli Salmon
**Marli Salmon** (Marli Ellis Salmon, born 2009) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender, primarily a right-footed center-back but also capable at right-back, for Arsenal. He joined the Arsenal academy at the age of nine, made his first-team debut in the Champions League in December 2025 at 16 years of age, and signed his first professional contract on his 17th birthday in 2026.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/marli-salmon/profil/spieler/1294399) • [2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/marli-salmon-commits-his-future-to-arsenal-ag2Dg2K3ftAU)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Marli Ellis Salmon, 2009, London; citizenship of England and Mauritius[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/marli-salmon/profil/spieler/1294399) |
| Position | Centre-back (main position), also right-back; right-footed; height 1.87 m[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/marli-salmon/profil/spieler/1294399) |
| Club / shirt number | Arsenal, number 89[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/clubs/players/250199801--marli-salmon/) |
| Senior debut | 10 December 2025, substitute for Ben White in a 3-0 Champions League win at Club Brugge, aged 16 years 103 days[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o) |
| Age records | Fourth youngest player ever for the Arsenal men's team; youngest Arsenal debutant in European competition; sixth youngest player to feature in the Champions League[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o) • [5](https://dailyafc.com/players/marli-salmon/) • [6](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2025/epaper/december/lucknow-english-edition-2025-12-12.pdf) |
| Professional contract | Pre-contract signed April 2026; first professional contract signed 29 August 2026, his 17th birthday[2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/marli-salmon-commits-his-future-to-arsenal-ag2Dg2K3ftAU) • [5](https://dailyafc.com/players/marli-salmon/) |
| International | England U17, 4 caps, 0 goals; first England U18 call-up in September 2026[1](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/marli-salmon/profil/spieler/1294399) • [5](https://dailyafc.com/players/marli-salmon/) |
## Academy career at Arsenal
Salmon joined the Arsenal academy in July 2019 at the age of nine and rose through the ranks at Hale End, the club's youth training center.[2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/marli-salmon-commits-his-future-to-arsenal-ag2Dg2K3ftAU) He was originally scouted as a forward but was moved to center-back in his first trial at the club and has stayed in defense since.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o)
His breakthrough came in the second half of the 2024-25 season, when he established himself as a key figure for the Under-21s while still a schoolboy.[7](https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2025/12/04/progress-report-marli-salmon/) In the summer of 2025, aged 15, he signed his scholarship and was selected by manager [Mikel Arteta](https://www.edgepedia.org/mikel-arteta) for the first team's pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong, featuring in a 1-0 win over [AC Milan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ac-milan) and a 3-2 win over Newcastle United without looking out of place.[2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/marli-salmon-commits-his-future-to-arsenal-ag2Dg2K3ftAU) • [7](https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2025/12/04/progress-report-marli-salmon/) He first trained with the first team in a pre-season camp in Spain shortly before that tour.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o)
## First-team debut and 2025-26 season
Salmon was an unused substitute in a Premier League match against Aston Villa on 6 December 2025, his first senior matchday squad.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o) Four days later he made his professional debut, coming on for [Ben White](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-white) in the 83rd minute of a 3-0 Champions League win at Club Brugge. The BBC reported his age as 16 years and 103 days, while Arsenal's own announcement gave 16 years and 102 days; both accounts agree he was 16.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o) • [2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/marli-salmon-commits-his-future-to-arsenal-ag2Dg2K3ftAU)
The debut made him the fourth youngest player ever to appear for the Arsenal men's team, after midfielders [Ethan Nwaneri](https://www.edgepedia.org/ethan-nwaneri), Max Dowman, and goalkeeper [Jack Porter](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-porter), and the youngest player to debut for Arsenal in European competition.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o) • [5](https://dailyafc.com/players/marli-salmon/) A report in [The Pioneer](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-pioneer) placed him as the sixth youngest player to feature in the Champions League.[6](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2025/epaper/december/lucknow-english-edition-2025-12-12.pdf)
**Cup football.** With first-team defenders [William Saliba](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-saliba), Gabriel, and [Cristhian Mosquera](https://www.edgepedia.org/cristhian-mosquera) missing through injury, Salmon was brought in for defensive cover and regularly trained with the first team.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o) He made three [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) appearances during the season, featuring in the third round against Portsmouth, making his home debut in the next round against Wigan Athletic, and starting the fifth-round tie at Mansfield Town in March 2026, which Arsenal won 2-1.[2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/marli-salmon-commits-his-future-to-arsenal-ag2Dg2K3ftAU) • [8](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9vl9e9j2e7o) At Mansfield, where Arteta made nine changes, the 16-year-old Salmon started alongside fellow 16-year-old Max Dowman; goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga afterward called the pair "special kids" who "play at the highest level".[9](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/kepa-arrizabalaga-mansfield-arsenal-mikel-arteta-premier-league-b2934204.html) In total he made four senior appearances for Arsenal in 2025-26 as a first-year scholar.[10](https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/youngpros/marli-salmon/)
## Professional contract and 2026-27 season
In April 2026 Arsenal announced that Salmon had signed a pre-contract agreement leading to professional terms when he turned 17 in August. He said at the time: "I've been at the academy since I was nine and I just want to give everything to the club."[2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/marli-salmon-commits-his-future-to-arsenal-ag2Dg2K3ftAU) He formally signed his first professional contract on 29 August 2026, the day of his 17th birthday; the length of the deal was not made public.[5](https://dailyafc.com/players/marli-salmon/)
In the 2026-27 season he has continued to combine first-team involvement with Under-21 football. His competitive appearances include a full 90 minutes at center-back in the 4-2 Carabao Cup third-round win at Ipswich Town on 15 September 2026, his first senior start in that competition, and regular Premier League 2 matches for Arsenal U21, for whom he has played as both a center-back and, on one occasion, a central midfielder.[5](https://dailyafc.com/players/marli-salmon/) • [11](https://fbref.com/en/players/3dabb62e/matchlogs/2026-2027/summary/Marli-Salmon-Match-Logs) He has also been an unused member of the Champions League matchday squad against Napoli and Lille.[11](https://fbref.com/en/players/3dabb62e/matchlogs/2026-2027/summary/Marli-Salmon-Match-Logs)
## International career
Salmon has represented England at Under-16 and Under-17 level, winning four Under-17 caps.[2](https://www.arsenal.com/news/marli-salmon-commits-his-future-to-arsenal-ag2Dg2K3ftAU) • [5](https://dailyafc.com/players/marli-salmon/) After featuring for England U17s he received a late call-up to the squad for the 2025 [FIFA U-17 World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-u-17-world-cup) in Qatar but did not play a minute at the tournament.[7](https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2025/12/04/progress-report-marli-salmon/) • [5](https://dailyafc.com/players/marli-salmon/) In September 2026 he received his first England U18 call-up for the UEFA Friendship Cup.[5](https://dailyafc.com/players/marli-salmon/)
## Playing style
Salmon is an excellent reader of the game who is composed in possession, strong in the air, and accurate in his passing; he is willing to give attackers space to run into because he expects to win individual duels.[7](https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2025/12/04/progress-report-marli-salmon/) • [10](https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/youngpros/marli-salmon/) Some supporters have compared his calmness and game-reading to the France center-back William Saliba.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o) Arteta has used him at right-back in some first-team sessions and in senior matches as he adjusts to the physicality of the professional game, while his strongest position remains the center of defense.[4](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o) • [8](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9vl9e9j2e7o) At youth level he frequently captained Arsenal U21s at 16 and captained the U19s in the [UEFA Youth League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-youth-league) against Atletico Madrid despite being one of the youngest players in the squad.[10](https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/youngpros/marli-salmon/) • [7](https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2025/12/04/progress-report-marli-salmon/)
## References
1. [Marli Salmon - Player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/marli-salmon/profil/spieler/1294399)
2. [Marli Salmon commits his future to Arsenal, Arsenal.com](https://www.arsenal.com/news/marli-salmon-commits-his-future-to-arsenal-ag2Dg2K3ftAU)
3. [Marli Salmon, UEFA.com player profile](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/clubs/players/250199801--marli-salmon/)
4. [Who is Arsenal's teenage debutant Salmon?, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvdjvygm38o)
5. [Marli Salmon: Age, Height, Shirt Number & Stats, Daily AFC](https://dailyafc.com/players/marli-salmon/)
6. [The Pioneer e-paper, 12 December 2025](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2025/epaper/december/lucknow-english-edition-2025-12-12.pdf)
7. [Progress report: Marli Salmon, Jeorge Bird's Arsenal Youth](https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2025/12/04/progress-report-marli-salmon/)
8. [Salmon contract signing another great step for young defender, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9vl9e9j2e7o)
9. [Kepa Arrizabalaga impressed by 'special' Arsenal duo Max Dowman and Marli Salmon, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/kepa-arrizabalaga-mansfield-arsenal-mikel-arteta-premier-league-b2934204.html)
10. [89. Marli Salmon, Jeorge Bird's Arsenal Youth](https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/youngpros/marli-salmon/)
11. [Marli Salmon 2026-2027 Match Logs, FBref.com](https://fbref.com/en/players/3dabb62e/matchlogs/2026-2027/summary/Marli-Salmon-Match-Logs)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › English footballers 2015–present › Defenders › Center-backs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license