Manager Mikel Arteta promoted Nigeria-eligible right-back Josh Nichols to first team training on Friday before Arsenal's historic Premier League clash with Everton, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

Arsenal's Premier League matchday seventeen fixture will mark the club's first-ever visit to Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Nichols has moved up the fullback pecking order following Ben White's hamstring injury, sustained during last weekend's late victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

While Gabriel Magalhães is edging closer to a return, the encounter with the Toffees has come too soon for the Brazilian defender.

The 19-year-old Nichols has trained with Arsenal's first team on several occasions this season, but his only senior call-up came in the Champions League clash against Club Brugge, where he remained an unused substitute.

Should Nichols be included in the matchday squad to face Everton, it would represent the seventh time he has been named in a competitive senior squad since making his debut against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup in September 2024.

At U21 level, Nichols has featured 11 times this season across Premier League 2, the EFL Trophy and the UEFA Youth League.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit: arsenal.com