Arsenal have announced that Louie Copley has signed his first ever professional contract. The 18-year old midfielder is thrilled about the new deal as he added, “Having all my family here as well to celebrate with me, I’ve been a boyhood Arsenal fan. I got put in an Arsenal top since I was born really, so it’s a really special day”.
Copley also mentions that his parents and sister were a big part in his development & have supported him through the ups and downs of his career. Copley’s first memory with the Gunners was him going to the Emirates with his mother and grandfather during a match where Theo Walcott scored a hat-trick against Newcastle in 2012. Copley then added, “That just inspired me going there for the first time, walking out of the Emirates, but just seeing it. It was really inspirational”.
The midfielder shared that his favorite moment on the pitch was an FA Youth Cup goal against Manchester United. The reason why this goal was so special was that it was at the Emirates Stadium and for Copley it was a special moment. He added, “As an Arsenal fan. Scoring there in the FA Youth Cup was definitely special for me. I was playing right wing at the time. I made a run in behind, it was just natural. I scored, that was for 1-1 as well. It was a big goal. There was momentum in the game. I was just ecstatic”.
Copley joined Arsenal’s under 13 side, developed at Hale End and then did two years as a scholar. He then established himself on the Gunners under 18 side & has had 35 Premier League U18 matches since the 2022/23 season. Last season Copley achieved his target of making a Premier League 2 debut with the under 21’s where he had four appearances. However he has bigger goals and added, “I just want to kick on now. I want to establish myself in the under-21s. But that’s not my end goal. I want to be playing first-team. So I definitely want to get a first-team appearance this year.”