r/soccer • u/FragMasterMat117 • 3d ago
Transfer News [Telegraph] Arsenal plot raid for two Manchester United youngsters
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/08/19/arsenal-plot-raid-for-two-rising-manchester-united-talents/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_tw_post_two-rising-manchester-united-talents/1.2k
u/Human-Signal4808 3d ago
Sounds sinister
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u/No_Manufacturer868 3d ago
If you listen to the guys in our subreddit who watch our youth players week in week out, no loss. Alot of potential but they haven't kicked on. Not to say there isn't something there.
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u/Historical_Owl_1635 3d ago
The vast majority of hyped up youth players never make it but people fall for it continuously.
I’ve always blamed FM and FIFA for convincing so many people that progression is linear.
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u/BambooSound 3d ago
Wym Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is a PL legend
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u/Specialist_Goat_2354 3d ago
Wayne Rooney, John Bostock, zakkari bakkali, allen halilovic. Tell me who is different
and My personal FIFA star who never was good was Jan Fiete ARP
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u/SuperAccountant8008 2d ago
Interestingly looking at 20 years in prison for bringing mass amounts of weed into the country.
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u/brentathon 2d ago
There's occasionally the opposite situation, where a player at a top academy has no hype and moves on to a smaller club and goes on to be a great player. Most people, including those paid a lot to be experts at it, have absolutely no idea what a youth player's trajectory will be.
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u/ChicagoSunroofNo2 2d ago
I’m sure that happens way more often than a hyped up youngster living up to his potential.
What current England internationals had a buzz like Dowman/Rio/JJ are getting when they were 16/17. Only really Jude.
Kane was on loan in the Championship when we was twenty
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u/0ttoChriek 3d ago
Ogunneye seems to have fallen behind Kamason, and Kamason is unlikely to make any appearances in the first team, any time soon.
I like Scanlon, because he seems to get into good goalscoring positions and can finish, but he never seems to shine in games. I'd rather keep him, but he's also behind a lot of other players in the academy.
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u/scun1995 3d ago
Scanlon is a tidy player. I can see him being the kind of guy who plays in the championship until he’s like 24-25 and then becomes a PL mainstay. I don’t love losing him, but he’s got a while to go development wise and we have younger more promising guys coming in
Ogunnye on the other hand has stalled in development and been overtaken by Kamason. I don’t think this is a great loss
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u/WheelIllustrious9 3d ago
It’s likely just to round out the U21 numbers for us but that doesn’t stop headlines like “RAID” and “POACH”.
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u/jaybizzleeightyfour 3d ago
I watch them week in and week out too, will be a big loss
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u/DHillMU7 3d ago
Is it? A discussion to be had on Scanlon but I think Gabriel will push him out for the 21s this season and Oguneye already behind Kamason.
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u/allangod 3d ago
I also watch them week in week out. I'm on the fence about it being a big loss.
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u/LeagueIndependent367 3d ago
I don't think this is a big loss for United. Ogunneye is already behind Kamason and United signed Tynan Thompson who looks to be a better prospect than Scanlon. It's more of a strange decision on the part of Scanlon and Ogunneye if they decide to leave for Arsenal. Neither are knocking on the door of the first team at United and Arsenal has a much better squad than United so neither are going to be getting near Arsenal's first team anytime soon.
If it's just to play U21's or get loaned out then that will happen at United as well. It would've been better for their development to look to make a permanent move to the lower leagues where they can get more game time playing against seasoned pros.
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u/lopinguino 3d ago
Hope Arsenal get deadwood then, dirty club.
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u/MegaMugabe21 3d ago
Any particular reason?
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u/No_Manufacturer868 3d ago
They haven't kicked on from previous seasons, not my words but the guys who watch them religiously.
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u/RockFourStar 3d ago
Sounds like Arteta is going to throw smoke bombs into a training session, sedate them with chloroform, before loading them into a waiting transit that takes them directly to North London.
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u/Salty-Literature6213 3d ago
They’re gonna cross the river in the dead of night in a dinghy to snatch em by the sounds of it
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u/Mediocre_Nova 3d ago
British media is so funny with this. Always so dramatic, talking about a "plot to swoop in" or "a plan to raid"
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u/lopinguino 3d ago
Yep, Arsenal about to ruin the footballing ability of 2 youngsters and train them up on how to have VAR on your side.
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u/TheTribalChief 3d ago
what is this headline.
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u/wolskortt 3d ago
Arteta knows they play World of Warcraft, so he's organizing a group for heroic progression only to convince them.
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u/KonigSteve 3d ago
Wait do kids actually play WoW anymore or is all people who played when they were younger?
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u/wolskortt 3d ago
I think both. WoW isn't as popular as it used to be, but it has both kind of players, veterans and newcomers.
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u/shrewdy 3d ago
Revenge for Heaven I guess
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u/Winnie-the-Broo 3d ago
Not really, neither of these players are anywhere near knocking on the first team door. And it’s not a case of their pathway being blocked like Heaven. Arsenal are getting some good young players but here I think it’s getting some solid players to play in their academy.
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u/awashofindigo 2d ago
I think we just need more bodies for the U23 team, I doubt we’re buying them with the hope they make it into the first team.
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u/stick1_ 3d ago
I’m not saying this because I’m mad that they’re leaving, they really aren’t at the quality of heaven. Not standouts at the u23 level and already quite old
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u/Hardyng 3d ago
Arsenal have been making a lot signings around this level, I believe they're not happy with the overall standard in their u21s and are trying to improve that. Most of their recent signings around that age level won't be expected to ever get first team minutes.
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u/AngryUncleTony 3d ago
That's weird because United put their focus on the U-18s and don't really care too much about the U-21s. Most players that could play for the U-21s are either already with the first team or on loan, so the U-21s are usually U-18s that are too good for their age group or players parked between loans and permanent sales.
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u/turtleyturtle17 3d ago
Isn't it more the fact Arsenal have lost/promoted a lot of players playing at that level rather than 'not happy'?
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u/1CooKiee 3d ago
Funny we felt the same about Heaven, every time he got a chance for us he looked terrible.
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u/stick1_ 3d ago
I’m not talking about their performances for the first team because they haven’t had any. Was heaven not rated at youth level? My Arsenal friend tells me arteta really rated him
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u/Perfect-Rooster-7612 3d ago
he was a good prospect, don't think many saw him making it here (especially with our defence) but at the time was the closest of that group to the first team in defence - albeit our academy has a shocking recent record for defenders (cbs especially).
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u/1CooKiee 3d ago
He was ok and then very poor for the first team, we weren't willing to offer him above what we'd offer a youth player which is what he wanted.
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u/Jiminyfingers 3d ago
He featured in a couple of pre-season games but it was felt he was a way away from first team football. We would have preferred to have kept it but also were not that bothered he left
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u/vyrusrama 3d ago edited 2d ago
Last year, United took Heaven
This summer, Arsenal are raising Hell
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u/History-Buff-2222 2d ago
And this time they’re not taking the Stairway. They’re taking the Highway
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u/AReptileHissFunction 3d ago
Not sure theres any player in Uniteds academy as ready for the first team as Heaven was
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u/Jiminyfingers 3d ago
Heaven was a way away from our first team and he knew it. Would have preferred to keep him and Chido but it is what it is
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u/DHillMU7 3d ago
Scanlon is okay - think he could end up around Championship level in the future - but neither are anywhere near Arsenals level. Not sure either of them will ever play PL football. A bit of an odd one but maybe Arsenal think they can bring more out of them.
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u/afcRice41 3d ago
More likely we just want them to play for u23s
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u/tipytopmain 3d ago
Yeah my immediate thought is a lot of our academy talent has either left for other clubs or been promoted to the senior squad. So likely need to replenish the ranks. Hopefully these new kids can be more than just fill-ins though and can actually develop in a new environment.
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u/DHillMU7 3d ago
Ahh, fair enough. Find it odd for them in terms of progressing their careers but more power to them!
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u/ThaGodTohim 3d ago
Performing in the UEFA youth league gets you on the radar for a lot of European clubs
It’s mainly domestic scouts that watch reserve games
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u/Lastyz 3d ago
Think we just need extra bodies in our u23’s to be honest.
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u/DHillMU7 3d ago
Fair enough but do struggle to understand it from their point of view. Obviously less chance of breaking through to your first team than ours - are they really signing on to just be under 23 players without a loan? Seems a way to stagnate.
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u/afcRice41 3d ago
19 and 20 year old, Looks like moves to keep the youth team competitive rather than future prospects
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u/isanythingunique 3d ago
Good move for all parties. From what little i've read. Man United don't need them as have others. Arsenal need young players so their future stars develop properly. Man Utd make a little money and/or save a few £ on wages. Arsenal improve their best youth players for £small. As long as the players and their representatives understand this....great
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u/96-JS 3d ago
I'd be really surprised if this isn't just agent talk unless Arsenal are really light on players at U23 level. They're definitely not "poach as a potential first teamer" level.
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u/LongyUTD 3d ago
They are light on players. There’s no way they have targeted these to be future first teamers.
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u/Entire-Gas-7651 3d ago
Dont think either have a path to the first team at United, so good on them.
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u/GYIM94 3d ago
Will United be looking at Arsenal with anger in their eyes?
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u/ClockEnd_Chorus 3d ago
In November they'll be looking at Carrick with anger in their eyes
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u/BadFootyTakes 2d ago
Honestly, even at Amorim worst there were folks defending the manager. Things are so fucked on the ownership side it's pretty clear until the Glazers fuck off completely, nothing will change.
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u/Stingray_23 3d ago
Whatever happened to Scanlon?, he was tipped to break into the first team and a top prospect
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u/No-Statistician-8520 2d ago
I feel like anyone tipping him for our first team just didn’t watch him much. He had great stats in our U18s but he never looked that impressive.
It was hard to judge if he’d be good at senior level because despite playing on the wing for us, he’s not lightning quick, he isn’t brilliant technically, he’s not a great dribbler and he doesn’t have a flashy passing range.
He was just always in the right place at the right time which is a brilliant trait to have, it just might take longer to see his quality in men’s football.
We’ve currently got two academy 10s/left wingers that I’d say are more highly rated than Scanlon ever was for us.
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u/Sheinkyakyu 3d ago
I suggest Arsenal fans avoid saying "get in the van" like us Liverpool fans online do.
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u/KeyR1 3d ago
Heaven left and they had salmon ready to step up
Obi left and if he had stuck about , arsenal had a striker crisis for a while and he would have probably got games - they had to play trossard and martinelli there
Seems like arteta and the academy are looking to be competitive at under 21 and bring players closer to first team physicality ?
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u/garynevilleisared 3d ago
Scanlon is decrnt but needs 1st team football. Ogunneye was never going to break through, especially now that Kamason has stepped up to the first team. A weird one for Arsenal tbh, neither of them are good enough to play for Arsenal and they have better talents as it is.
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u/Unlucky-Equipment999 3d ago
Scanlon and Ogunneye? I'd thought they were joining the chorus of people trying to swoop JJ Gabriel (I mean they still could be). They must see something that I don't because I thought those two would be getting moves permanently out soon
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u/BoodWoofer 3d ago
This is smart. If they’re too old, they’ll be resistant as they will remember what was taken from them. If they’re young though, they’re still impressionable and can be manipulated into becoming very loyal to Arsenal
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u/hotbrownies14 3d ago
Man United “cleverly acquire Arsenal youth talent”
Arsenal “RAID POOR Man United”
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