The 18-year-old was joined by his parents and siblings as he signed professional terms with us after five years at the club. 

"It's an amazing feeling," Josh said after signing his contract, "I've got my family here, I've got the people closest to me that see me every day, and I'm grateful for this moment. 

"Grateful to God, grateful for all the people that have helped me along the journey, so we just continue. We all feel blessed. 

"The hard work that's been put in been put in from all of us, the sacrifices on their end, the hard work on my end, it's all pieced together." 

A towering defender who can play as either a left-back or centre-half, Josh has worked his way up through the age groups since joining in 2021. 

Over five years at the club, Josh has felt overwhelming support from everyone he's worked and played with, convincing him that Arsenal was the place for him. 

"I've learned a lot, on the pitch, off the pitch, how to get better as a person, get better as a player. I've fed into all the knowledge, all the power, all the wisdom that's been granted to me, and I don't take that lightly, I'm grateful. 

"[The people here are] great people, first and foremost, before they're coaches, before they're staff, they're great humans. I think that's what really empowers this building. It's a building that resonates with the values that I uphold, so I thought this was the right place to be." 

Josh is coming off a bumper season with our academy sides, which not only saw him score his first goal in the UEFA Youth League, but also saw the defender make 40 appearances across three age groups in six competitions. 

While the 18-year-old admits this was challenging, it was a task he relished, as he secured a regular starting spot in our under-21s side before the end of the season. 

"It was a pretty seamless journey. I felt like the time that I made the transition [to under-21s football] was the time that I was ready. It took a lot of hard work, a lot of believing and just trusting the process. 

"The challenge is always positive. Playing in different competitions, different age groups, playing against men, the challenge is something that I like and I wish to continue having."

After training with our first team towards the end of last season, Josh is hungry to strive towards their standards. 

"It's amazing to have that around, [it] can help you become a better player, a better person. That's always important, I don't take that lightly. They feed off my learning and I feed off theirs and that's important in life. 

"Training with them is an experience that not many will achieve in their life, and to have said I've done that, I'm truly blessed. I learn a lot, both on the pitch and off the pitch, I try to ask as many questions as possible, and just learn."

This deal is subject to the completion of the regulatory processes.