Arsenal have confirmed the signing of left-back Cohen Bramall from non-league side Hednesford Town.
Bramall trained with the Gunners first team last week and will now work with the Premier League club’s Under-23 squad.
The 20-year-old played for Hednesford in the Northern League Premier Division on a part-time basis, while working full-time at a Bentley car factory.
He was facing redundancy last month, before being picked up by Arsenal.
Speaking to BBC Sport last week, Bramall explained how his career changed in a 24-hour period.
“I got made redundant by Bentley on the Tuesday [20 December], which was crazy because I didn’t know what I was going to do,” he said.
“My agent Lee Payne rings me on the Wednesday saying you’ve got a trial at Arsenal. I was like ‘what?’ – I was gobsmacked.
“He said pack your stuff and get to this postcode, so I packed all my stuff in about an hour, got there as fast as I could, slept for a bit, then the next minute I’m in training with the first team.
“It was crazy how quick everything happened, how I met everyone and they just took me straight in. I had to take the opportunity with both hands.”
Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday had reportedly watched Bramall, but only Arsenal agreed terms on a reported £40,000 deal.
“Bramall is a young, promising left-back who has a lack of experience at the top level but who has fantastic ingredients,” Gunners manager Arsene Wenger said.
“He has tremendous pace, a good left foot, a great desire to do well. Overall, he’s a very exciting prospect.”
