What’s the story?
Arsenal have confirmed the signing of non-league left-back Cohen Bramall from Hednesford Town in the Northern Premier League on Tuesday. The 20-year-old will join the Gunners’ Under-23 side, where he will play under Steve Gatting.
The defender had a trial with the north London club before making the switch to Arsenal. Arsene Wenger was delighted to add Bramall to the club’s youth setup.
“I believe that when you go down, there’s mental selection. It’s a mental test - do you love football enough? Players like Giroud and Koscielny have had that test. They are similar to that. Once they get up, they really mean it,” Wenger said after his first signing in this transfer window.
In case you didn’t know...
Bramall worked in a car factory, where he was employed by Bentley Motors. He was based out of their plant in Crewe, and had a full-time job at the factory, where he worked from Monday to Friday, 6:30 am until 5:15 pm.
He was a part-time player for Hednesford and worked for Bentley Motors due to club’s failure to offer him a full-time job. The youngster has played for seven non-league clubs and the list includes the likes of Newcastle Town, Market Drayton Town, Nantwich Town and Hednesford.
A quick player Bramall’s fastest 100m dash was just 10.9 seconds, and he clocks a time of 11 to 12 seconds on an average.
The heart of the matter
Arsenal were not the only club interested in securing Bramall’s signature. Prior to his trial with the Gunners, he had a week’s trial with their London rivals, Crystal Palace, and also played against Brentford for the Eagles.
He previously also had a trial with Football League club, Sheffield Wednesday. However, it was the north London club who were successful in securing the 20-year-old’s signing.
What next?
Bramall will have to prove his worth with the Arsenal Under-23 side, before breaking into the first team. It is unlikely that he will be anywhere near the senior side until the end of the current season.
Sportskeeda’s take
The full-back should focus on improving his game at Arsenal and also eye a loan move to either a club in the Championship or in a club in League 1. This would allow Bramall to get the experience of playing professionally before even standing a chance to make it to the senior Arsenal team.
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