3 Arsenal youngsters join first-team training pre-Brentford | OneFootball

At least three Arsenal academy players trained with the first team ahead of Arsenal’s game against Brentford on Saturday, with one of them likely to make the bench.

Photo via Clarke on Instagram

Photos from Arsenal’s training session on Friday revealed that at least three youth players were involved with the first team ahead of Saturday’s game against Brentford.

Tommy Setford’s inclusion is unsurprising, with the youngster effectively acting as Arsenal’s third-choice goalkeeper this season.

It’s unlikely he’ll make the squad though, with the Gunners generally naming one keeper on their Premier League benches and two in the Champions League. Neto is available to be Arsenal’s one bench goalkeeper on Saturday.

That leads us to the other two youth players we know were involved – Brayden Clarke and Will Sweet.

Photo via Sweet on Instagram

Clarke was also involved in training ahead of Arsenal’s game against Real Madrid on Tuesday, but the difference in that case was that he’s ineligible for the Champions League squads at the moment.

Arsenal didn’t name Clarke as a senior player in their Champions League squad list, due to a lack of available spaces, and you can only feature as an u21 player on the list if you’ve been at your club for more than two years. Clarke joined Arsenal in March 2024.

That’s not the case in the Premier League, where unlimited u21 players can be included regardless of time spent at the club. So Clarke is eligible for Saturday’s squad against Brentford.

Photo via Arsenal.com

Arsenal have 19 senior players fit for Brentford, including Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri. With 20 spots to fill, there’s a chance one of the above will be included.

Clarke and Sweet are both centre-backs, which perhaps makes sense for a call-up in light of Gabriel Magalhaes’ injury. Midfielder Jimi Gower is perhaps also an option, as despite not being spotted in training photos, he’s made the first-team squad in every April fixture so far.