SAINTS have finalised the signing of former Arsenal prospect Zach Awe following his departure from the Gunners.

The defender is the latest youngster to join Southampton this summer and will initially link up with the under-21 side.

He arrives at St Mary's having become a regular for Arsenal’s youth teams during his decade at the club. However, he departed the club this summer having never made a senior appearance.

We take a look at the club’s new man and explain exactly what you can expect…

Who is Zach Awe?

Previously described as a commanding centre-back during his time at Arsenal, Awe has just left his one and only club, having joined the Gunners back in 2012.

Saints are expected to pay compensation for Awe, despite him being available as a free agent, due to his age and how long he has spent at Arsenal.

Reports around the time of his Emirates departure indicate that the youngster left in search of first-team opportunities.

However, the former England youth international will first be a part of Lee Skyrme’s under-21 side.

Awe has signed a three-year deal, meaning he has plenty of time to impress in the Premier League 2 and earn a move to the senior team.

Daily Echo:

Awe’s career so far

Having joined Arsenal’s youth set-up as an eight year old, Awe signed his first professional contract with his boyhood club in February of 2021, one month after his 17th birthday.

The defender rose through Arsenal’s youth ranks at a rapid rate. He made his debut for the under-18 side at the age of 15 back in January 2020 before going on to make his first appearance for the under-23s aged 16.

During his time at the club, he trained with Mikel Arteta’s first team and was named on the bench for their 1-0 win Premier League at Molineux in February 2022.

While he is still awaiting his senior debut, the 19 year old has previous experience facing EFL opposition having played six games across the EFL Trophy.

He scored the equaliser in Arsenal’s 3-1 win against Northampton Town last season, which saw them advance to the knockout stages before they were eliminated by Stevenage.

Awe, who is also eligible to play for Nigeria, has earned caps for England at both under-15 and under-16 levels but is yet to earn any further youth team caps.

He is also no stranger to PL2 football, having previously played 31 times in the division – during which he scored twice.

What has Awe said?

Following his departure from Arsenal, Awe took to social media to pay tribute to the club he has spent the past decade at.

On Instagram, he wrote: “My time at Arsenal has come to an end.

“I would like to thank the players and staff that have supported me throughout my journey at Arsenal.

“During my 10 years at the club, I have learnt so much about myself as a player and a person.

“However, I feel that it is my time to move on and I am excited about the journey ahead.”

That sentiment was continued in his first interview with Saints’ media team.

He added: "It's amazing, it's something I have been looking forward to for a very long time.

"Leaving Arsenal and seeing how Southampton play under Russell [Martin] and the plan, I'm very excited to join. 

"I joined Arsenal's academy when I was eight. I played in my own age group and I play up. I really enjoyed my time at Arsenal but I felt it was time for a new challenge.

"Southampton is where I've come to hopefully play some Championship football.

Daily Echo: Zach Awe has signed a three-year deal at Southampton

"I saw the way Russell played last season with Swansea. It's some really attractive football and I'm intrigued to play it.

"The amount of players who have come through at Southampton, Bale, Walcott, is really interesting and something I would like to be a part of."

When asked how he would describe himself as a player, Awe responded.

"I'm a ball-playing centre-back. I like to get onto the ball, play out from the back and drive through the midfield. But also, I do like to defend, block shots, win headers. I would like to think I've got both sides to my game."

Our verdict

Much like the previous signings of Derrick Abu and Josh McNamara, Awe is a low-risk signing with a lot of potential upside.

Having been developed in one of the country’s best academies, he arrives at Staplewood with some of the core attributes required to fit Russell Martin’s system, but will likely require further fine-tuning before making the step up to the first team.

One may look towards Dynel Simeu, who joined Saints from Chelsea in 2022 and has since had three loan spells away from the club, for an indication of what may be in Awe’s future.

However, Simeu was signed under a different regime, therefore similarities can’t be drawn too closely.

The recent departures of Duje Caleta-Car and Mohammed Salisu, combined with Martin’s apparent willingness to provide youngsters with first-team opportunities, could accelerated Awe’s integration into the first team.