Mikel Arteta_v3
Arsenal transfer news: Arsenal are set to announce two new signings in the coming days, with a third deal edging closer too. According to an exclusive report by Standard Sport journalists Matt Verri and Sam Tabuteau, the club have reached full agreements for Manchester United right-back Habeeb Ogunneye and Blackburn Rovers striker Igor Tyjon, both of whom have now passed their medicals.
Arsenal transfer news: Gunners confirm double medical as academy rebuild takes shape
Ogunneye arrives on a free transfer from Old Trafford, though United have protected themselves with a 40% sell-on clause. The 20-year-old heads straight into the Under-21 setup but will get his shots in first-team training sessions too. Tyjon’s deal is structured at £1 million upfront, with a further £2 million tied to performance.
The 18-year-old is expected to see senior minutes under Mikel Arteta this season. Separately, negotiations continue for United’s 19-year-old attacking midfielder James Scanlon, a Gibraltar international with 24 senior caps. Personal terms aren’t an issue; the sticking point remains the club-to-club fee.
Arsenal transfer news: What Ogunneye actually offers Arteta
Let’s be straight about what Arsenal are getting with Ogunneye. He’s raw. Genuinely raw. His 2025/26 season split across United’s Under-21s and a Newport County loan in League Two tells you exactly where he sits on the development curve. The senior goal at Newport is a positive marker, but League Two defending didn’t prepare him for Premier League intensity.
His attributes are real though. One-on-one defending is where he lives: recovery pace, physical upper body, proper defensive instincts. Going forward, he’s direct, loves the overlap. The problem is his in-possession game in tight spaces; he doesn’t yet have the spatial awareness or the body orientation to play the Arteta inverted full-back role.
That’s not a throwaway criticism. Ben White took time to learn it. Ogunneye will get that same six-month re-engineering process, working alongside a defensive anchor while Arteta’s coaches drill the positional model into him. He won’t touch Premier League squads immediately. That’s fine. This is a long project.
Arsenal transfer news: Tyjon’s role is far more urgent
Tyjon’s situation reads differently. His seven goals and two assists in 21 youth appearances last season look modest, but context matters. He refused to sign professional terms at Blackburn and spent the year in deliberate limbo, holding out for exactly this kind of move. That tells you something about his mentality.
The profile is explosive. Generates shooting angles rapidly off short bursts, cold-blooded in front of goal, and his pressing triggers match what Arteta demands from every forward. The gaps are real though. Hold-up play needs work, and mature centre-backs can physically dominate him right now.
High-density central areas can also expose his decision-making. But Arsenal’s domestic cup depth has long been thin behind their primary striker options. Tyjon slots straight into that wildcard role. Bench minutes in cup competitions, a late substitute when a direct vertical threat is what the moment needs.