Arsenal Targets Gibraltar Winger Scanlon for Youth Revamp
Arsenal’s recruitment drive at youth level has zeroed in on a new name: 19-year-old winger Scanlon, with the club pushing to bring the teenager to north London as part of a sharpened focus on emerging talent.
The Leicester-born wide player, who qualifies for Gibraltar through his mother, already has 24 senior international caps to his name and spent the second half of last season on loan at League Two side Swindon. That blend of senior exposure and developmental upside has put him firmly on Arsenal’s radar.
The club are understood to be relaxed about the personal side of the deal. Scanlon is said to be keen on the move, and Arsenal are confident that agreeing terms with the player will not be a stumbling block. The real work lies in negotiations with United over a fee, with talks ongoing but hope inside the club that the deal could accelerate over the next 72 hours.
Two figures in particular are driving Arsenal’s pursuit.
Chris Perkins
Chris Perkins, who arrived at Arsenal in 2023 as a professional development phase scout, has tracked Scanlon’s progress for years. Perkins previously spent six years as head of academy recruitment at Derby, a period that overlapped with Scanlon’s rise through the youth ranks there. His long-standing admiration for the winger has now translated into a concerted push to bring him into Arsenal’s system.
David Horseman
Then there is David Horseman. Appointed earlier this week as the new head coach of Arsenal’s Under-21s, Horseman has strongly recommended Scanlon to the club. He joined Arsenal a year ago as elite player development coach, taking charge of the U19s in the UEFA Youth League and the U21s in the EFL Trophy, and is now stepping into a more prominent role.
Horseman’s endorsement carries extra weight for one simple reason: he knows the player first-hand. Before his move to Arsenal, Horseman had a brief spell at United, where he worked directly with Scanlon and came away impressed by his qualities.
Arsenal’s interest does not stop there. The club are aiming to turn this into a double raid on United, with right-back Habeeb Ogunneye also on their list. Ogunneye spent the first half of last season on loan at Newport in the fourth tier before being recalled in January, and is viewed as another potential addition to bolster the club’s defensive options in the development squads.
The message from Arsenal is clear: the youth operation is being sharpened, the net is being cast wider, and players like Scanlon and Ogunneye are now central to the next phase of the rebuild beneath the first team.
