Amario Cozier-Duberry: Arsenal's teenage sensation dreaming of being the next Bukayo Saka

Cozier-Duberry was born in London and grew up as an Arsenal fan. Football was always a big part of his life, whether it be playing for his school side or with his Sunday League team, Chettle Court Rangers FC.

He spent five years with Chettle Court, from Under-11s through to the Under-15s, before being offered a trial by Arsenal.

“I was excited because I supported Arsenal and I could have never thought I’d have the opportunity to play for my boyhood club,” Cozier-Duberry said, while discussing his journey so far with the Arsenal matchday programme.

”However, I was also nervous as I had been on trials at other teams around London and they never took me in.”

But there was no reason for Cozier-Duberry to be nervous. He starred during his 10-week trial, and after scoring a fine goal during a win against Colchester United in the Floodlit Cup, Arsenal told the young forward that they wanted to sign him.

He went on to spend the next two years at Hale End before receiving his scholarship with the U18s and progressing to London Colney.

Cozier-Duberry is still waiting for his competitive senior debut for Arsenal, but he has appeared in the first-team squad three times in recent months.

He travelled with the senior squad for the recent warm weather training camp in Dubai and made a couple of eye-catching cameos as Arteta’s side beat Lyon and AC Milan to win the Dubai Super Cup.

The winger then came off the bench to make his first ever appearance at Emirates Stadium in Arsenal’s final warm-up game ahead of the return of the Premier League in December.

Arteta’s side were beaten 2-0 by Juventus, but Cozier-Duberry immediately caught the eye.

“Making my home debut was a dream come true,” he said. “It’s something only a few ever get to do and to do it against Juventus, a team with a massive history, is a moment I’ll never forget.

“I was so nervous beforehand, my feet were numb, but as I stepped on the pitch, I made a few decent passes which helped.

“Hearing my name through the speaker, the fans cheering, and having my family and friends there who have been so supportive of me, was so wonderful. “

Aside from dipping his toes into the first-team picture, Cozier-Duberry has been one of the stand out performers this season as Arsenal’s U18s have progressed through to the latter rounds of the FA Youth Cup.

He scored twice during a thrilling 4-2 win against Watford, when Jack Wilshere’s young side fought back from two goals down at half-time to book their spot in the quarter-finals.

And that followed on from the goal Cozier-Duberry scored in the 3-2 success at Newcastle United in the previous round.

This has certainly been a breakthrough season for the 17-year-old, who has featured heavily for the U21s, scoring three goals so far and contributing a further three assists in 13 Premier League 2 appearances.

Add those performances to his heroics in the Youth Cup so far and you can see why Arteta is keen to have the young winger around the first-team set-up.

He was on the bench for Arsenal's Premier League games against Everton and Brentford in February, and while he has yet to actually get on the pitch, his competitive senior debut only feels like a matter of time.

There’s no doubt that Cozier-Duberry’s biggest strength is his ability to run with the ball at pace. His low centre of gravity makes it very difficult for defenders to get the ball off him, and his touch and technique ensures he is a real threat whenever he is in possession.

His preferred position is on the right-hand side of attack, where he likes to cut inside on his left foot and get shots away, but he can also operate on the opposite flank if needed.

Like many young wingers, he has played at full-back at times, but his strength is clearly in attack, as he has showcased so impressively this season, whether that be with the U18s, U21s or with the first team.

As with most young players, there is still work to be done in terms of adding a more clinical edge to his game. And, if Cozier-Duberry wants to make an impact with the first-team over the next couple of years, he will have to show he can be trusted to do his job defensively when needed.

But those are all things that come with the territory of being a young player. The steps forward Cozier-Duberry has taken over the past 12 months have been very impressive, and he has shown that, despite being just 17, he can perform when up against senior players.

He proved that during his cameos with the first-team and also with the U21s during their run to the second round pf the EFL Trophy, where they were eventually knocked out following a 3-2 defeat at Stevenage.

Cozier-Duberry scored in that game, just as he did in a 3-1 win at Northampton Town in the group stage.

It’s very difficult not to be reminded of Saka when you watch Cozier-Duberry rampaging down the right of the Arsenal attack.

There are so many mannerisms in his game that are similar to Saka, who the 17-year-old admits is a player who looks up to and models himself on.

Like Saka, Cozier-Duberry is not the biggest, but his low centre of gravity ensures he is very difficult to knock off the ball.

He likes to make the pitch as wide as possible down the right, but then looks to cut inside and bend shots towards the far corner - just as Saka does so well for Arteta’s side.

And, as he proved in the Youth Cup win at Watford, he is not afraid to step up and take penalties when the pressure is on.

It’s been 14 years since Arsenal lifted the FA Youth Cup, and that is a barren run that Cozier-Duberry wants to help end this season. From there, his target is just to push on and get himself closer to the first-team over the next couple of years.

Given his age, it’s unlikely that he will be sent out on loan next season, although that all depends on the rate of his progress - which has been rapid up to this point.

“My mindset is to stay focused and strive to become the next Saka, Eddie Nketiah or Emile Smith-Rowe,” Cozier-Duberry said while discussing his future ambitions. “These are guys I look up to and they’re an example that there is a pathway there to the first-team from Hale End.”

There is still a long way to go for Cozier-Duberry before he can emulate the likes of Saka, Smith Rowe and Nketiah at Arsenal. But if he can continue progressing the way he has been this season, then very few would bet against him adding his name to ever growing Hale End success stories at Arsenal.

Check out NXGN's previous player profiles and follow us on Instagram and TikTok for all the latest on the world's best young ballers.