Arsenal Targets Manchester United Duo for Academy Rebuild
Arsenal’s senior squad has already had a £200million facelift this summer. Now the club are turning the same ruthless energy on the academy – and Manchester United are feeling it.
The Gunners are closing in on three new arrivals for their youth ranks, with United youngsters Habeeb Ogunneye and James Scanlon, plus Blackburn Rovers forward Igor Tyjon, all set to head to north London.
Raiding United’s youth line
According to reports, 20-year-old right-back Ogunneye has already completed a medical ahead of a free transfer from Old Trafford. Arsenal are also close to wrapping up a deal for 19-year-old winger Scanlon, another United prospect who is expected to join without a fee.
Free does not mean cheap. United are understood to have secured significant sell-on clauses in both deals, a clear sign they still believe in the pair’s long-term value even as they move them on.
There is a familiar face waiting for them in London. Both Ogunneye and Scanlon are known to Arsenal’s new under-21 head coach David Horseman, who spent four months in United’s academy set-up before switching to the Emirates. That knowledge shortens the usual bedding-in period. Arsenal know what they are getting, and how to use it.
Tyjon breakthrough after Blackburn stand-off
The push for Tyjon has been more complicated. Arsenal have chased the 18-year-old striker for some time, but Blackburn Rovers repeatedly resisted approaches, sparking a stand-off between player and club.
That deadlock has finally cracked. A breakthrough was reportedly reached last week, with Tyjon undergoing a medical on Friday. Arsenal are set to pay an initial £1million, with performance-related bonuses and a sell-on clause attached, for the England Under-18 international.
It is a very modern academy deal: low up-front cost, upside protected on all sides, and a clear pathway dangled in front of a teenager who sees Arsenal as a fast track to senior football.
Building an academy that pays – on and off the pitch
Arsenal’s academy has already begun to feed Mikel Arteta’s first team again. Max Dowman, Ethan Nwaneri and Marli Salmon are among the latest to step onto that stage, underlining the club’s belief that Hale End and the wider youth structure can still produce players capable of handling Premier League demands.
But the game has changed. Under the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan, academies are not just judged on how many players reach their own first team, but also on how many carve out professional careers elsewhere.
Chelsea have set the benchmark. Their academy graduates have generated more than £400million in transfer fees, a staggering figure that has repeatedly helped them navigate the old PSR (profit and sustainability) rules. Every homegrown sale counts as pure profit on the balance sheet, a financial weapon as much as a footballing one.
Arsenal are clearly trying to build a similar machine: a pipeline that can both supply Arteta and fund him.
Senior squad already reinforced – but business not done
While the academy deals bubble away, the first team has not exactly been neglected. Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta have already delivered a heavyweight window, bringing in Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa for a combined outlay of around £200m.
The squad looks deeper. Sharper. More tailored to Arteta’s demands.
Yet the window still has air in it. With the deadline set for 11pm on September 1, Arsenal are expected to remain active, both in trimming players deemed surplus to requirements and in pouncing on any late opportunities that emerge.
The senior side is being tooled up for a title push. The academy is being reloaded with targeted raids on rivals. If these youngsters from Manchester and Blackburn hit their ceiling, Arsenal won’t just be stronger now – they’ll be shaping their future for years.
