The teenager has been at Arsenal since 2011 but it became clear recently that he would not be offered the chance to continue his development at the Emirates.

According to All Nigeria Soccer, multiple Premier League clubs explored the possibility of signing Fapetu but he opted to join the Rams instead as he felt he had a better chance of breaking into the first team at Pride Park.

There has been a clear pathway between the youth setup and the senior side at Derby in recent years, with the likes of Jason Knight, Louie Sibley, Max Bird, and Lee Buchanan all featuring regularly this term.

The report claims that Fapetu, a box-to-box midfielder, has agreed a pre-scholarship deal with his new club, which means he will remain on schoolboy terms until the 1st of July.

It is understood that he will then be upgraded to a scholarship and will be part of the new intake of academy scholars at Derby ahead of next season.

The Verdict

Derby fans will surely love to hear that Fapetu has opted to move to Pride Park despite interest from Premier League clubs.

It's certainly an understandable snub because there is clear room for progression between the academy and the first-team at the East Midlands club, something that cannot be said for all English teams.

The teenager has left the Emirates after a decade with the Gunners and will no doubt be keen to prove that the north London club have made a mistake by letting him leave.