Arsenal’s brightest midfield talent, Omotara Junaid, has decided to leave the club with a year remaining on his current contract, as reported by Gooner Fanzine.
The youngster is dissatisfied with the Gunner’s youth development plan and is concerned with its impact on her overall progress. Hence, she has opted to find better opportunities at another club that might provide a healthy platform for her growth.
Omotara Junaid – Rise at Arsenal
At just 16 years old, Junaid was already a star in the academy, and the club handed her a two-year contract extension as well. She was also promoted to the U21 squad and was recently appointed as the U21 captain for the 2024/25 season.
The midfielder was invited to train with the senior side at London Colney, which highlighted her rapid rise within the setup.
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She made her first senior debut in the closing stages of the preseason friendly games against Southampton at St. Mary’s. She was also named in Arsenal’s UEFA Women’s Champions League squad this year.
Junaid also collected five starts for England’s U17 side for the FIFA U17 World Cup. The young ace remains eligible to play for Nigeria’s Super Falcons.
Why she left Arsenal women?
However, even after enjoying a successful Euros and World Cup campaign, she has decided to cut ties with the Gooners. Her father revealed the reason behind her decision to leave saying:
“The reason why she left was not because she was frustrated for not having first-team opportunities. It was because at the back of a very successful year of Euros and World Cup, Arsenal presented a very poor development plan compared to other clubs for the England U17 starters.”
Arsenal will lose a major star in Junaid, who had helped their U16 squad lift the league title going unheated in the entire season. She emerged as the second-highest goalscorer in the competition.
Under her guidance, their U21 team also secured the PGA Under 21 South earlier this year. Despite these milestones, the English star wants to test her skills somewhere else.
Her teammates were made aware of this news on Sunday and it remains to be seen where Junaid would move in the upcoming months.
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This move also raises questions on the North London outfit’s ability to retain their best players. They need to build a robust development plan that can ensure the success of these young academy talents.
