Arsenal Sign Mylo Bernard from Crystal Palace Academy
Arsenal have beaten a host of rivals to one of south London’s most prolific young forwards, with Crystal Palace striker Mylo Bernard completing his move to the Gunners’ academy.
The 16-year-old joins on a scholarship as part of the club’s 2026/27 intake, with Arsenal confirming that professional terms have already been pre-agreed and will kick in when he turns 17.
A ruthless finisher from Palace’s ranks
Arsenal’s statement underlined exactly why they moved decisively. Bernard hit more than 40 goals for Crystal Palace’s academy last season, a remarkable return that included six strikes while playing up an age group in the U18 Premier League.
That output has not gone unnoticed at international level either. Bernard is already an England youth international, with four goals and two assists in eight appearances for the England U16s. For a 16-year-old, those are the kind of numbers that make recruitment departments sit up.
Arsenal have now turned admiration into action.
A busy summer in Hale End
Bernard is far from the only fresh face heading into Hale End and London Colney.
The Gunners have brought in Daniel McCarron from Dungannon Swifts, Elijah Upson from Tottenham Hotspur, Phoenix Blayney from Larne FC, Igor Tyjon from Blackburn Rovers, James Scanlon and Habeeb Ogunneye from Manchester United, Axel Donczew from Cardiff City, and Andria Bartishvili from Kolkheti 1913.
Some of those deals are already completed, others are agreed for 2027, but the pattern is clear: Arsenal are aggressively stockpiling high-upside talent across multiple positions and age groups.
Bernard now drops into that ecosystem as one of the headline attacking additions.
Compensation and the next battle with Liverpool
Arsenal could not simply pick Bernard up for nothing. His deal at Crystal Palace expired this summer, yet his age meant he could not leave as a free agent. The Gunners therefore had to reach a compensation agreement with Palace to get the transfer over the line.
They may soon be back in similar territory.
Arsenal are also believed to be closing in on the signing of Vincent Joseph from Liverpool. Like Bernard, Joseph’s contract with his previous club has run down, but his youth status again blocks a straightforward free move. Negotiations over a compensation package with Liverpool have so far failed to find common ground, and that dispute is now heading to a tribunal.
For Arsenal, that is the price of raiding rival academies. For Bernard, it is the backdrop to a simple question: can he turn those 40-plus goals in youth football into the kind of cutting edge that one day lights up the Emirates?
