Our Young Gun series gets to know the academy youngsters kicking off their careers at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.
Phoebe De Bohan spoke to us recently about her love of being on the pitch, overcoming adversity to make it at Southampton and the special feeling of signing for Arsenal.
I grew up in Portsmouth in a family that loved football. I’ve got an older brother, along with two older sisters and a younger sister. My dad actually played semi-pro for Havant and Waterlooville, so I don’t ever remember getting into football; it was just always in my life.
My dad got me into a team called Fleur de Lis and I started playing for their under13s, because that was the only girls’ team they had. That took me to an FA Talent ID course where Sophie, a coach from Portchester, invited me to trial for their multiple girls’ teams. It all went from there.
I was at Portchester for three or four years before moving on to Portsmouth and then I eventually made the switch to Southampton. I was devastated when I initially got rejected by them – I burst out crying in the middle of the school car park when mum told me the news.
I remember saying, “I’m never going back there,” and all my mum said was, “Trust me, you will.” My parents talked me into going back the next year to trial again, and this time I got in.
At the end of last season I was planning to move from Southampton for a fresh start and my agent told me that Arsenal were interested. You hear Arsenal and go, “Wow.” It’s such a big club, so will I start? Will I play?
My agent encouraged me to meet with the team, and my head swivelled straight away. I told my dad that this was where I wanted to go and he said, “Let’s make it happen, then.”
When I came to the training ground it blew my mind even more. I just knew it was the place for me the minute I came through the door. I felt like I’d been at Arsenal for years.
There were already several of the girls I knew from England camp, but I immediately clicked with the people I’d just met too.
“I just knew it was the place for me the minute I came through the door. I felt like I’d been at Arsenal for years.”
That support is so important off the pitch. Not long after I joined Arsenal, my dad passed away. Arsenal were so supportive of me throughout and gave me all the time I needed, but all I wanted to do was get back on the pitch and get back to the game we both loved.
As a footballer I’m quite technical and I like to exploit my pace to get on balls in behind. I also love having the ball at my feet, and scoring goals, of course!
I started out as a winger but throughout the season I’ve shifted into the striker role. Initially, I didn’t really give the position a chance, but I’ve definitely grown into it at Arsenal.
One of the big differences is that as a winger, you have to be very technical and very forward-facing. Whereas, as a nine, I can drop in, I can spin, I can make movements for other players. Sometimes a lot of that work goes unnoticed, but if you watch Alessia Russo for an entire game, she literally does not stop.
I’ve taken part in a few training sessions with the first team, both during pre-season and also in the last couple of weeks. It’s an incredible experience every time.
Seeing the players I’ve obviously watched on TV and then training and speaking with them is just unbelievable. I’ve learned so much from them all.
As I look ahead to the next few years, I’d love to have exposure to Arsenal’s first team, whether that’s in training or being on the bench for games. Maybe even coming on if I’m really lucky!
Having that experience with first-team football is so important for development, so I’d love to go on loan or even see what it’s like to play football in countries like France and Italy, to try to vary my game.
Copyright 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
