Arsenal Targets Manchester United Academy Duo for Youth Rebuild
Arsenal’s first team has taken most of the summer headlines, but the real churn is happening a few pitches over at London Colney.
The club are closing in on three new academy signings, with Manchester United duo Habeeb Ogunneye and James Scanlon, plus Blackburn Rovers forward Igor Tyjon, all set to join the Gunners’ youth ranks.
Raiding Manchester United
The Athletic report that 20-year-old right-back Habeeb Ogunneye has already completed a medical ahead of a move from Old Trafford. Arsenal are also close to wrapping up a deal for 19-year-old winger James Scanlon.
Both transfers are expected to be free, but United have protected their interests with significant sell-on clauses written into the agreements. No fee now, a slice later if Arsenal turn potential into profit.
These aren’t blind punts. Ogunneye and Scanlon are well known to Arsenal’s new under-21 head coach, David Horseman, who spent four months working inside United’s academy. He knows what he’s getting, and crucially, how they’ve been developed.
Tyjon breakthrough at last
The third piece of business is more hard-fought. Arsenal are close to finally landing Igor Tyjon from Blackburn Rovers after a drawn-out pursuit.
The 18-year-old striker, an England Under-18 international, had been in dispute with Blackburn, who resisted multiple approaches from north London. The stalemate dragged on, but a breakthrough was reportedly reached last week.
Tyjon then underwent a medical on Friday. Arsenal have agreed to pay an initial £1m, with further bonuses and a sell-on clause attached. For a teenager yet to make a Premier League appearance, that is a clear statement of belief.
Building more than a first team
This is not just stockpiling kids for the sake of it. Arsenal’s academy has become one of the most productive in the country, both for Mikel Arteta’s squad and the wider market.
Max Dowman, Ethan Nwaneri and Marli Salmon have already tasted first-team football, underlining the pathway that now exists between the youth set-up and the senior dressing room.
But the modern academy is no longer only about finding the next homegrown star. The Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan has turned youth systems into talent hubs: develop players, give them a career, and if they don’t make it at your club, sell them on.
Chelsea have mastered that model, generating over £400m in transfer fees from academy graduates. For clubs operating under PSR (profit and sustainability) rules, those homegrown sales count as pure profit. They keep the books healthy and the recruitment machine turning.
Arsenal clearly want a slice of that market. Sell-on clauses in the incoming deals for Ogunneye, Scanlon and Tyjon show that all three clubs understand the financial ecosystem they are operating in.
Senior squad already strengthened
While the academy is being quietly retooled, the senior squad has been aggressively reinforced.
Arteta, alongside sporting director Andrea Berta, has already brought in Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa for a combined outlay of around £200m. That is the spine of a team upgraded in one window.
And yet the work is far from done. Several players are expected to leave before the window closes at 11pm on September 1, with more movement anticipated in both directions.
The message from N5 is clear: Arsenal are not just building for this season’s title push. They are trying to lock in the next generation too – and if that means raiding rivals’ academies, so be it.
