Arlo Doherty signed his first professional deal at the Foxes over the summer

THE task of stopping top Premier League marksmen from finding the back of the net sounds like a daunting one. But for emerging talent Arlo Doherty it’s a welcome challenge that draws the broadest of smiles.

The goalkeeper, who grew up in Kentish Town, took the biggest step in his fledgling career so far in the summer when he signed his first professional contract with Leicester City.

Describing the moment that he finally put pen to paper as “a dream come true”, the humble 19-year-old knows only too well that the hardest yards still lie ahead of him.

Arlo has already invested some 10 years in chasing this dream. At a young age he took it upon himself to start eating healthier and get himself in the best possible shape as he started a testing journey that saw him go from playing for his local youth team, Kentish Town FC, to Norwich City, followed by a brief spell at Manchester City.

In 2020 the towering 6ft 2 shot-stopper then joined Leicester City in a three-year deal – two years on a schoolboy scholarship and the third year as a fully-fledged professional.

He now divides his week playing for the Foxes’ Under-21s and training alongside the first-team, where his job is to stop the likes of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and – in his opinion one of the best finishers at the club – Kelechi Iheanacho from grabbing goals.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Arlo. “Ever since I was a little kid all I wanted to do was become a professional footballer. I’m living the dream, playing for a top Premier League club that has great training facilities and great coaches – it’s amazing.

“I’ve just come back from warm-weather training in Abu Dhabi with the first-team and I’m sitting on the plane thinking these are the guys I usually watch on TV. It’s all very surreal.

“You can really see the difference in levels, even in training: the power they can get behind a shot and the accuracy is crazy. I’m loving every minute of it.”

This time last year Arlo was enjoying a short loan spell with non-league side Mickleover FC – an experience that has left him hungry for more “proper men’s football”.

Arlo, who went to Kentish Town Primary School and later spent a year at Holloway School, since renamed Beacon High, explained: “I’ve played a few games now for the Under-21s and obviously that’s really good for my development. But last season I was on loan at Mickleover FC and that was proper men’s football. I’ve got a taste for it now and I want more. I’m ready for that next step.

“My goal now is to play as many Under-21s matches as possible, and also keep impressing the first-team coaches.

“I need to show what I can do, and attract as much attention as possible so that maybe next summer I can go back out on loan and continue my development.”

Arlo has a top team of supporters by his side helping him to stay grounded and focused, including mum Estelle and former Kentish Town FC coaches Thomas Looney, who founded the club, and TJ O’Leary, now the scouting co-ordinator and women’s academy coach at Chelsea.

Another key figure who has helped Arlo fine-tune his skills is former Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. The Premier League title and FA Cup winner joined Ligue 1 side Nice last summer, but before leaving for France he was always happy to pitch in with advice.

Arlo said: “He was really amazing. He’d speak to me during training and always give me good tips and advice on how to improve my game. To be able to get feedback off someone with his experience was fantastic, it really helped me a lot.”