Still just 18, the Danish goalkeeper has spent his first season at Arsenal sharing facilities with players like Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka and David Raya, and training under the watchful eye of Mikel Arteta.
“It’s really big because we go around the same facility as all the first-team players,” Nygaard told Bold. “It is easy to walk around with Martin Ødegaard and all the boys. At the start was very wild, but I’m there for a reason. I’m there because I’m good enough to be there.”
That kind of proximity to elite professionals was one of the reasons Nygaard chose Arsenal in the summer of 2024, turning down approaches from Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Monaco. He had trained with PSG, but the lack of English spoken there, combined with what he saw at London Colney, made the choice simple.
“There were a lot of clubs to turn around last summer,” he said. “Monaco were really interested and Juventus were really interested. PSG and Arsenal were also really interested, but the choice fell on Arsenal in the end.
“Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world and they have a really good project going,” he added. “When I was there training, when I had to choose where I wanted to play, I was impressed. I think the people around the club, my teammates and the project were really exciting. I could see myself in it, so that’s why I chose them.
“I love to compete and I love to compete against the best in Europe. So it was only a really cool situation to be in when there were so many big clubs interested.”
A strong communicator with self-belief to match, Nygaard sees competition as a challenge, not a threat. “I have great faith in my own abilities and in myself as a goalkeeper,” he said. “I really like those competitive situations and I usually come out on top.”
After arriving, he earned a place in the first-team’s US tour and impressed during training with Arteta’s squad, even if most of his day-to-day work is done under the club’s goalkeeping coaches.
“Mikel Arteta is watching my development, but I don’t talk to him much about it. I’ve talked to him, but it’s mostly the goalkeeping coaches I speak with.”
It was during that pre-season tour that Nygaard got his first real taste of life in Arsenal’s senior squad.
“It was a great experience to see how such a setup is. When you leave with the first team, there are f***ing bodyguards and own chefs with you,” he said, laughing. “It was great to be able to train with them and see how they do things. You want more. You want to play in stadiums like that. So, it just gives an even greater drive in everyday life and makes you train even harder to get those experiences..”
There have been challenges. An injury disrupted part of his season, and moving from Holte to London at a young age brought upheaval. But a host family helped smooth the transition, just as one did for Nicklas Bendtner when he arrived in England.
“They were mega-cute. Maybe it was a very good idea, so you didn’t just go home for the first few months and sit in an apartment all alone. I could go down to the living room and talk to them a little.”
When fit, Nygaard has been Arsenal’s starting keeper at academy level, despite heavy competition from international-calibre teammates.
“It gives some hair on my chest to come to a big club like Arsenal and have to come and play there. There’s a slightly greater competitive situation, because all goalkeepers are national team players. They are England national team players and one of them plays on the Colombia national Under-20 football team. But it’s just cool. It was great to compete in that environment. So, when I haven’t been injured, it’s been me who’s been playing.”
Reflecting on his first season, Nygaard is confident in his decision to join the club.
“It must indicate that I am doing well,” he said. “I also grow in such a competitive situation and become even better.
“So, it’s actually been a really, really good year. I am very happy that I made the decision to go to Arsenal.”
Nygaard, who turns 19 later this month, made 12 appearances for Arsenal’s u21s last season, conceding 31 goals and keeping just one cleansheet.
