Quad-national RB Nichols reveals he had trials at West Ham, Chelsea, Spurs before joining Arsenal

Josh Nichols has revealed that he trained with West Ham United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur before joining Arsenal on schoolboy terms. 

The talented right-back faces a dilemma regarding his international allegiance, with options ranging from England, his birthplace, to Nigeria, his mother's homeland, as well as Jamaica and Guyana through his father.

Nichols was invited for trials at West Ham United after he was spotted playing for Sunday League team Euro Dagenham but a proposed deal did not eventually go through.

Before an opportunity arose for him to trial at Arsenal, he also tried his luck at fellow London clubs Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

"The first academy I got a trial for was West Ham when I was around six or seven years old, but I didn’t get signed,"  Nichols said to the Arsenal matchday programme,

"Then I went to Chelsea, and I was close to signing for them as they invited me back after my trial, but the journey was just too far from where I lived, so I never ended up joining.

"After that, I went to Tottenham, and I was there for a while. Just as I was about to sign, I got a trial at Arsenal, so I went and did it but I didn’t get in, so I went back to Tottenham.

"Believe it or not, two weeks later Arsenal had a change of heart and decided to sign me."

Following a successful trial, Nichols was delighted to be offered a contract by Arsenal -  a club he and his father both support.

The defender continued: "I was so happy because I’ve always been an Arsenal fan, and my whole family was so happy.

"It was a great moment! I joined young at under-9s level, so the only players I remember that were there when I got there were Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri."

The Gunners showed faith in the fullback by offering him scholarship terms in 2022, despite him being sidelined for nearly the entire season during his U15 year and only playing one game.

Nichols is now in the second year of his scholarship at the Gunners and will be aiming to sign his first professional contract with his boyhood club before the start of next season. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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