Arsenal Targets Manchester United's Scanlon and Ogunneye
Arsenal’s youth rebuild is about to run straight through Manchester United.
The club are closing on a double deal for highly rated youngsters James Scanlon and Habeeb Ogunneye, with one move already at the medical stage and the other progressing fast in talks.
Standard Sport understands Scanlon has been identified as a serious target as Arsenal double down on their recruitment at academy level. Discussions with United are ongoing, but there is confidence at London Colney that an agreement can be struck, with personal terms not expected to be a stumbling block.
The situation with Ogunneye is even more advanced. Arsenal are set to sign the 20-year-old defender on a free transfer, with United inserting a 40 per cent sell-on clause as part of the agreement. His medical is booked for Thursday and an announcement is anticipated over the weekend.
Once the paperwork is done, Ogunneye will report to the U21s, but the door to the first team will be left ajar. He is expected to be given chances to train under Mikel Arteta and his staff, a clear signal that this is more than just a routine academy pick-up.
Who is James Scanlon?
Scanlon is already a full international. Still only 19, he has been capped 24 times by Gibraltar, who he qualifies for through his mother.
He made history in the UEFA Nations League when, at 17 years and 346 days, he became the competition’s youngest goalscorer, finding the net in a 2-2 draw with Liechtenstein in September 2024.
Born in Leicester, Scanlon operates primarily as a winger and is comfortable on either flank, but he can also slot into an attacking midfield role. His development began at Derby County’s academy before United moved to bring him in back in February 2021. Within a year he had forced his way into their U18 side.
The 2023-24 campaign marked his real breakout. Scanlon featured in the UEFA Youth League, stepped up to make appearances for United’s U21s and earned invitations to train with Erik ten Hag’s first team. That progress was rewarded with his first professional contract in May 2024.
He has been on the fringes of the senior picture at Old Trafford. Scanlon was named in a first-team matchday squad for the first time in March 2025, for a Europa League tie against Real Sociedad, but is still waiting for his competitive debut for United.
To accelerate that journey, he spent the second half of last season on loan at Swindon Town. He turned down interest from clubs across Europe to take that move, scoring once in six appearances as the Robins finished ninth in League Two, agonisingly missing the play-offs by a single point.
Who is Habeeb Ogunneye?
Ogunneye is slightly older than Scanlon and has been at United for far longer, coming through their academy system after growing up in Hackney.
A right-back by trade, he is known for his willingness to get forward and his athleticism down the flank. He made his debut for United’s U18s at just 15, a marker of how highly he was regarded inside the club.
Last season he took the next step with a loan spell at Newport County, where he banked senior minutes and a taste of the demands of the professional game. Ogunneye made 21 appearances across all competitions, featuring in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
One of those outings brought him face to face with his likely future employers. He started for Newport against Arsenal U21s in the EFL Trophy and endured a difficult moment, conceding a penalty that Marli Salmon won and Andre Harriman-Annous converted to level the tie. Arsenal’s analysts will have logged far more than that single mistake.
His rise has not gone unnoticed at international level either. Ogunneye is at the centre of a tug of war between England, the country of his birth, and Nigeria, who he is eligible to represent through his heritage. No final decision has been made public, but England U21s head coach Lee Carsley has already earmarked him as a potential star of the future.
If Arsenal complete both deals as expected, their academy and development squads will look very different by the time the new season settles into rhythm – and Arteta will have two more young talents pushing hard to turn training-ground opportunities into Premier League minutes.
