Arsenal Signs Phoenix Blayney Over Liverpool and Nottingham Forest
Arsenal have beaten Liverpool and Nottingham Forest to the signature of highly rated 15-year-old Phoenix Blayney, with the Larne youngster set to join the Gunners on a pre-contract this summer.
The Northern Ireland prospect, who has been on the radar of several Premier League clubs, impressed Arsenal staff during a trial and quickly moved to the top of their recruitment list. Coaches at London Colney were convinced enough to push hard for a deal – and they have now got their man.
Liverpool and Forest both put contracts on the table and Blayney was even spotted at Anfield in full Liverpool kit after being shown around the club’s training facilities. The battle for his future was real, and it was competitive.
Arsenal, though, made the decisive move.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Blayney’s father, Alan, confirmed that the North London club had won the race and that the agreement is already in place.
“Everything has been agreed with Arsenal, he just needs to sign the contract,” he said. “It’s done and dusted and a pre-contract will be signed when the time is right.”
Blayney is expected to link up with Arsenal this summer and sign a pre-contract arrangement, before committing to professional terms when he turns 17 in November 2027. It is a long-term play, but one Arsenal know well.
The club have used this pathway before. Marli Salmon and Max Dowman both agreed similar pre-contracts this season and will sign their first professional deals with the Gunners on their 17th birthdays. Blayney now follows that same track, another piece in Arsenal’s increasingly ambitious academy puzzle.
For the Blayney family, Arsenal’s pull went beyond paperwork and pathways. It felt right.
His father described Arsenal as the “shining light between them all” when weighing up the offers from Premier League sides. The teenager’s own experience during his time in North London seems to have sealed it.
“Phoenix enjoyed being at Arsenal, he felt a connection there and really likes the coaches,” Alan added.
There was also a familiar face helping tip the balance. One of Blayney’s close friends, Daniel McCarron, has already joined Arsenal, strengthening the emotional and footballing case for the move.
“One of his good friends Daniel McCarron has joined the club and that’s probably one of the reasons too. Him and Daniel play in the same Northern Ireland team,” his father said.
For Arsenal, this is another statement of intent at academy level. The club have been aggressive and targeted in their youth recruitment, determined to stock Hale End and London Colney with some of the brightest talent from the UK and beyond. Internally, Blayney is viewed as one of those top prospects – a player worth the wait until 2027 for his first professional signature.
The Premier League stage will have to wait. Arsenal’s work, though, has already begun.
