The Prospects: Elijah Upson, Arsenal New York Times (Online) Rob Tanner Do young players who have professional footballers as fathers have an advantage when it comes to player development? There are a number of rising young talents coming through who come from footballing households, such as Manchester City's Reigan and Jaden Heskey, sons of Emile Heskey; Manchester United's Jack and Tyler Fletcher, sons of former United midfielder Darren Fletcher; former Wigan Athletic midfielder Ben Watson's son Reggie at Chelsea; and Wayne Rooney's son Kai at United. Growing up absorbed by the game and exposed to the professional standards and commitment required to make the grade could certainly give them an advantage. This summer, Arsenal recruited another promising young talent who has come from such a background, and The Athleti c watched their UEFA Youth League clash with Lille to take a look. Player: Elijah Upson Club: Arsenal Date of birth: March 26, 2008 (18) Position: Central defender Welcome to The Arsenal, Elijah ❤️ Defender Elijah Upson expressed his pride in signing for Arsenal on professional terms ahead of the 2026/27 season 👇 — Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) July 21, 2026 Elijah followed his father Matthew and signed for Arsenal at the same age as his dad did in 1997. Upson had been in the Tottenham Hotspur academy from the age of seven, helping Spurs win the Under-17 Premier League Cup in 2025, before switching to Arsenal last summer when his scholarship contract ran out. “My dad signed here around the same (age) as me,” he told the Arsenal website. “It is great to have someone with a good experience of the place, but at the same time, I am definitely looking forward to building my own reputation and getting started.” There are similarities between Elijah and his father. Both are commanding centre-backs who can play out from the back. Both have also played for England at under-18 level, with Matthew going on to earn 21 senior caps. Elijah scored on his debut for Neil Ryan's under-18 England side against France in October last year. To add to his sporting heritage, his mother is former Team GB athlete Ellie Darby, and he was a national sprinting champion during his childhood. This was a stern test defensively for Arsenal's under-19s at Meadow Park, home of National League side Boreham Wood. Lille were on the front foot and in Ismael Camara and Saad Boussadia, they had the two players who posed a constant threat. The opening Lille goal was a soft one, an inswinging Camara corner that seemed to evade everyone at the near post, including Upson. After Josh Ogunnaike equalised against the run of play, Upson conceded the penalty that gave Lille the lead again. He was a fraction too late in his challenge on central striker Lucas Muamba and there were no complaints as he walked away in frustration. Arsenal's defence was also torn apart just before half-time by a bursting Camara run. He strode unopposed to the edge of the area and Upson moved to block his shot, but instead Camara cut to his right to tee up Boussadia for the third. It had been a difficult first half for Arsenal and Upson, although he looked composed when on the ball and showed aerial strength against Muamba. He showed that again in the second half when he towered above everyone, including the Lille goalkeeper, to head Arsenal back into the game from close range. Upson was used as an aerial attacking threat in the closing stages but didn't receive much service as Lille ran out the clock for a 3-2 win. Tellingly, goalkeeper Jack Porter was Arsenal's best player with a string of fine saves, but Upson looked to cover his 'keeper often and produced an important headed block to deny Camara. Upson has had an encouraging start to the season since his move. He tops the Arsenal Under-21 rankings for aerial prowess, winning seven of his 15 duels this season. As he demonstrated against Lille, he is composed on the ball and comfortable under pressure. He again ranks No 1 in Arsenal's Premier League 2 campaign with 265 passes, and also in successful passes, with 234. Defensively, he is not one to dive in and overly commit himself. He ranks 15th for tackles in Premier League 2, and ninth and 10th for duels (22) and duels won (9), but he is No 1 for interceptions (7), demonstrating he is a centre-back who looks to read the game and stay on his feet. Upson is a ball-playing central defender with athleticism and bags of potential – a chip off the old block in many respects.