football.londonunderstands that Arsenal offered the wonderkid a new contract but the player has instead departed the club as a free agent at the start of this month
Amario Cozier-Duberry has reportedly decided to join Brighton and Hove Albion after leaving Arsenal at the start of this month.
Cozier-Duberry, 19, departed on 1 July alongside Arthur Okonkwo, Cedric Soares, Mohamed Elneny and Reuell Walters as their contracts officially ended. The former had already agreed to join Wrexham permanently after spending last season on loan at the Welsh club.
The Gunners also reportedly planned to send Cozier-Duberry out on loan in January, as The Standard reported earlier this month. football.london understands that the club offered the teenager a new contract and hoped to keep the Hale End graduate this summer, but now he is said to have signed a four-year contract with Brighton.
However, Cozier-Duberry has instead moved onto a new club offering more guarantees over first-team minutes. Fabrizio Romano reports that Brighton offered the player a clear pathway into the first team and will integrate the winger into their senior squad this coming season.
That is seemingly the reason behind them beating off the competition of several clubs from the Premier League and across Europe to sign Cozier-Duberry on a free transfer. Teams from Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands are said to have made offers this summer. While the teenager leaves as a free agent, Arsenal will receive compensation and development fees after the player spent five years at the club.
Announcing his arrival, Brighton technical director David Weir told the club's website: “We’re really pleased to be able to bring Amario to the club. He’s got attributes we like and we believe he is a player who can flourish in our environment.
"We’re looking forward to working with him and helping his career to progress.”
But confirmation of Cozier-Duberry finding a new club will come as a blow for the Gunners as they hoped to keep the boyhood Arsenal fan, hence offering him a new contract. Under-18s head coach Jack Wilshere highlighted how highly he was rated inside the club when speaking to The Athletic less than 18 months ago. “Amario is very exciting, and Mikel [Arteta] likes him,” Wilshere said. “He reminds me of Bukayo Saka, but he’s definitely exciting."