Arsenal's Academy Rebuild: Signing Man Utd Duo Ogunneye and Scanlon
Arsenal’s summer business is not stopping at the first team. Behind the scenes, the club is close to pulling off a triple swoop that underlines just how aggressively they are rebuilding the academy.
The Gunners are set to bring in Manchester United pair Habeeb Ogunneye and James Scanlon, along with Blackburn Rovers forward Igor Tyjon, with all three deals structured with sell-on clauses.
Raiding Manchester United’s youth ranks
The Athletic reports that 20-year-old right-back Ogunneye has already undergone a medical ahead of his move from Old Trafford. Arsenal are also finalising a deal for 19-year-old winger Scanlon, another United prospect.
Both transfers are expected to be free moves, but United will retain significant sell-on clauses – a clear nod to how highly they rate the pair’s long-term value.
These are not random punts. Both players are known to Arsenal’s new under-21s head coach David Horseman, who spent four months in United’s academy setup. He knows what he’s getting, and Arsenal clearly trust his eye.
Tyjon breakthrough after stand-off
Arsenal’s pursuit of Igor Tyjon has been a longer, more awkward saga. The 18-year-old striker has been in dispute with Blackburn Rovers after the Championship club pushed back against repeated approaches from north London.
That deadlock has finally cracked. A breakthrough was reached last week, and Tyjon underwent a medical on Friday. Arsenal have agreed to pay an initial £1 million, with bonuses and a sell-on clause included for the England Under-18 international.
It’s a classic modern academy deal: controlled outlay now, upside protected for the selling club, and a big developmental bet for the buyer.
Arsenal lean into the academy economy
Arsenal’s academy has already started to feed Mikel Arteta’s squad. Max Dowman, Ethan Nwaneri and Marli Salmon are among the youngsters to have tasted first-team action in recent seasons, a sign that the pathway from Hale End to the Emirates is very much alive.
But youth development is no longer just about who makes it in north London. Under the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan, clubs are encouraged to produce players not only for their own senior side but for the wider professional game.
Chelsea have set the benchmark here, generating over £400 million in transfer fees from academy graduates. Those homegrown sales count as pure profit in the accounts, a vital lever under the old PSR (profit and sustainability) rules and still a major financial weapon in the current landscape.
Arsenal clearly want a slice of that market. Bringing in highly regarded teenagers on low fees or free transfers, with the potential either to reach the first team or be sold on for a premium, is exactly how that model is built.
Heavy investment at senior level too
All of this is happening alongside a major first-team rebuild. Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta have already driven through a big-money summer, spending around £200 million on Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa.
The senior squad looks deeper, more balanced, more ruthless. But the work is not done. More movement is expected in N5 before the window shuts at 11pm on September 1, with several players deemed surplus to requirements likely to head out.
Arsenal are spending big at the top and quietly stacking talent at the bottom. If this academy raid pays off, how long before another wave of youngsters forces its way into Arteta’s plans – or funds the next marquee signing?
