Mikel Arteta's son, Gabriel, rising Arsenal youth ranks with U18s debut | OneFootball

Teenager is making a name for himself at Hale End

Mikel Arteta’s eldest son, Gabriel Arteta Bernal, made his competitive debut for Arsenal’s Under-18s as they beat Reading 3-0 on Wednesday.

The teenager, who is not officially contracted to the club, had previously been named on the bench for the U18s ahead of their friendly against Ipswich Town in February.

The 16-year-old has made steady progress for Arsenal’s youth teams this season, having only made his competitive debut for the U17s in their Premier League Cup clash against Watford in October 2025.

Gabriel, centre, next to his father

Getty Images

Unlike his father, who played as a central midfielder for Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Everton, Rangers and Real Sociedad, Gabriel plays on the wing.

And while it remains unclear if he will be offered a contract at the club, his development suggests he is highly thought of at Hale End.

Gabriel is not the first player with family connections to Arsenal to feature for the Gunners’ U18s this season, with Ethan Nwaneri’s younger brother, Emerson, opening the scoring against Reading.

The 15-year-old beat his brother’s record to become the youngest ever player to start for Arsenal’s U21s in January, playing in their Premier League 2 defeat to Liverpool at the age of 15 years and 152 days.

In related news, former QPR Head of Emerging Talent, Dean Barker, has joined the recruitment team at Arsenal’s academy.

Barker announced his arrival with a post on X on Tuesday evening.

“Really pleased to join the recruitment team at Arsenal FC. Looking forward to getting started,” he posted, with a picture of Arsenal’s Sobha Realty Training Centre.