Elijah Upson: Ex-Arsenal star's son snubs Spurs contract offer to join Gunners

Read MoreThe 18-year-old centre-back is the son of Matthew Upson, the former Arsenal and England defender.Upson was offered a professional contract when his Tottenham scholarship terms expired on June 30, 2026, but turned down the offer and has since accepted a move to Arsenal.Upson has been in Spurs’ academy system for several years but was not confident in his route to the first team, which has been obstructed somewhat this summer by the signings of Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke. On the move: Elijah Upson trades N17 for N5GettyUpson is believed to have turned down offers from various top clubs including Chelsea and Manchester City in order to join Arsenal, with clubs in Europe also said to have been keen. He was won over after visiting the club’s training ground with his family.Several Arsenal academy graduates featured in the first team last season, with sensational 16-year-old winger Max Dowman chief among them. Also featuring semi-regularly were Marli Salmon and Andre Harriman-Annous, while Myles Lewis-Skelly has made himself a fixture under Mikel Arteta.Matt Upson played 57 times in six years with Arsenal, during which time he also served loan spells with Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Reading. He retired in 2016 with 21 England caps under his belt.