Gabriel Arteta Bernal, the eldest son of Mikel Arteta, made his competitive debut for Arsenal’s under-18 team on Wednesday, contributing to their 3-0 victory over Reading at Bearwood Park.
Gabriel came off the bench in the 70th minute, joining a match that featured a goal from Emerson Nwaneri, the 15-year-old brother of Ethan Nwaneri, and a two-goal performance by Alex Marciniak.
At 16 years old, this marks Gabriel’s first competitive outing for the U18s, after previously being named on the bench for a friendly against Ipswich Town in February.
This appearance comes six months after he played for the U17s during their Premier League Cup clash against Watford in October.
In contrast to his father, who played as a central midfielder for clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Everton, and Arsenal, Gabriel is being groomed as a winger.
Additionally, Dean Barker, the head of emerging talent at QPR, has announced his new role with the recruitment team at Arsenal’s academy.
Barker previously worked as a PE teacher at the same school that produced Arsenal academy standout Ethan Nwaneri, who is currently on loan at Marseille as he seeks more playing time during Arsenal’s Premier League title pursuit.
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