Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Ayden Heaven joins Manchester United

Arsenal have confirmed that Ayden Heaven has joined Manchester United on a permanent basis.

The 18 year old defender had been offered new terms by the club, and also had discussions with Eintracht Frankfurt, but has chosen to move to Old Trafford to continue his career.

The 18 year old featured during the pre-season tour of the USA, but in part there was room because of how many players were away on international duty during that summer.

He made his one senior appearance for the club this season in the 3-0 win over Preston in the Carabao Cup, but with the likes of Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and Jakub Kiwior ahead of him in the centre-half pecking order, the pathway to first team football with Arsenal was not obvious.

Best of luck to him in the future.

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loose_cannon

While I understand that there’s a lot of competition for his position in the squad, I’m still surprised that he would look at Nwaneri and MLS, and then decide he needs to leave in order to develop. Time will tell, but feels like a mistake, especially with United’s recent track record and volatility.

kingsley

Correct and right ; wrongly advised by whoever. everyone is entitled to fight for their space, but the easiest way will be to walk away, especially when you are young and can improve.

Luton Gooner

Good luck to him.

I feel like if he had the quality of those 2 we would be trying a hell of a lot harder to keep him and give opportunities. In my Football manager visions, we sell Zinchenko and Tierney and replace them with Jorrel Hato (who we’ve been linked with loads in the past) a back line of MLS, Calafiori, Timber, Kiwior, Saliba White, Tomi and Hato is more than enough quality.

JuiceJ

You just made Big Gabi disappear.

Nacho de Montreal is tasty

That was a Big Gap!

Grab my coat.

Daithí

I don’t know, If I was looking at the group quality and age of defenders Arsenal have compared to Man Utd I definitely think I have better chances at Utd. They are shite show, we look like the best defence in the world! I can’t blame him

Odinelli

It’s fair enough if he feels the back line in the senior team is just too young and good. CB appearance cycles are way longer than CF.

But to United??? If he was a United fan he wouldn’t have joined our academy.

JuiceJ

Maybe but united is a buying club and not a maturing one. They will go for experience than trial and error. If it’s project related then Southampton or other lesser clubs.

TeeCee

Maybe he can play in a back three?
United have aquired a manager addicted to playing that way, with the slight snag that they don’t have any players who can do it without their defence leaking like a sieve.
I’m guessing they are in “buy anyone available who can play as a back three” mode.
It’s going to be really fucking funny when they kick out Amorim and the next poor bastard through the door has to use a squad halfway through being rebuilt as something completely different.

Dr. Gooner

This is about the shorter terms gains, methinks.

Funsho Patrick

His odds for making it as a professional footballer aren’t extraordinary…they probably offered him 30k pounds as against 10k that we offered him? Over a 5year deal that’s more than a lifetime’s earnings for most people in the world….easier to judge from behind one’s keyboard I guess…

AusGunner

Signing for a team performing below expectations (however unreasonable those expectations might be viewed in their proper context) is a good opportunity for teenagers to break through, as we have found out in very recent history. It would also be super encouraging if a manager as good as Amorim went to bat for him personally, though I don’t know whether that’s the case here.

Bramble

Maybe he looked at Nwaneri and MLS getting their chance, but Man Utd played more academy players than Arsenal recently. Mainoo, Garnacho, McTominay, Elanga… just to name a few.

Merlin’s Panini

True, but they’ve also clearly stated that they need to profit out of academy players to balance their books now, hence Elanga leaving, McTominay leaving and possibly Garnacho now too. I suspect they want that “pure profit” so they can invest in more overpriced garbage designed to fit with Amorim’s style… if they keep him on board long enough to see it through. Otherwise in comes another manager dealing with a collection of misfits.

Bramble

True, but if they have to balance the books they have to rely more on the academy. Give youngster minutes, then either keep them or sell the for profit. Not good for the club, but probably a deciding factor for an academy player looking to kickstart his career.

I imagine that for many academy player is not really “who you play for”, but actually “who will play me more?”.

I can’t blame them, the chances of making it to the top are really small.

Bobbert

Is there a transfer fee or compensation associated with this? Or is it another one of those grey area ‘deals’ where he’ll go on loan immediately and then be sold for 20m profit like Hutchinson was with Chelsea?

Alberto Balsam Mendez Rodriguez

I think a tribunal decides on a compensation package,
which tends to be a few thousand pounds, and some biscuits.

Emi Rates

I’ll have the biscuits if no one else minds.

Okester

Depends on the biscuits to be fair. Bourbons you can stick up your arse, but some butter shortbread ones, we’d be fighting over them..

Billy bob

I’d rather dunk my bourbon biscuits in a delicious cuppa coffee 😋

Tt gunnr

Its all Tim Tams down under

Chris

I think the tribunal only comes into place when the two clubs can’t agree on a fee. And it usually takes couple of months. But in this case Arsenal say “an agreement was reached between the clubs for an undisclosed fee”. Probably a small fee with a decent sell on clause, if I had to guess.

OmoOba

😂😆!! If the biscuits are yummy, all’s well!

David Hillier's luggage

The Arsenal website says “an agreement was reached between the clubs for an undisclosed fee”, which suggests fee. Hopefully a sell on too?

Bobbert

Well that’s reassuring, but likely lower than we would have gotten from Germany in both areas.

Gunnar Elí

Maybe he ends up in ipswich like Omari ?

Bobbert

Helping to balance the united books too.

Goonerrific

Poor lad

myrtle

A guy named Heaven joining the devils in Hell? It’s not a good start.

Fatgooner

Genius!😛

Cranky Colin

Sad, misguided move by a young man and his advisors

Al m

Destined for obscurity

ukesox

Man U are likely offering him way more in terms of wages than Arsenal, which is a clever move financially for them if ( like with Omari H.) he is moved on 2 years later for millions to another club. It’s a win win for them .. either he comes good or they sell him for a good profit. If he had all aspects the current player profile I doubt Arsenal would be letting him go so easily.

Nacho de Montreal is tasty

People were talking of Mertsacker as a potential Edu replacement but that side of his job at academy level has been lacking.

Ebo

Didn’t Chido Obi Martin also go there? Slightly worried at this trend.

Zak

I’d not be too worried at this point. There’s a continuing trend of hale end players being shown a pathway to being first team players, not everyone is going to make it (Saka, MLS) and not everyone is going to generate big fees (Eddie, ESR) but so long as there’s a pathway I can’t be too upset if a young player decides (for whatever reason) they’d rather go elsewhere.

Simon

I wouldn’t be. It’s normal for academy kids to go mid to lower league teams if they can’t make it at a top four club.

Ebo

This is the answer I was looking for without knowing it.

Billy bob

Simon is on the money ☺️

JuiceJ

He claimed he needed first-time opportunities at United. he still hasn’t made the bench and we have been looking for a striker with so many front-line injuries. Im certain he’s kicking himself. United is a terrible place for Young players, greenwood, elanga, garnacho, januzaj, long list of prospects that went into obscurity or haven’t developed in years. With the issues there he might get sold next season and still wouldn’t have got that first team football he needs.

JuiceJ

…team..

Sephirothevic

I guess you’re not suggesting Elanga is going into obscurity. He may well be in the UCL next season.

JuiceJ

I meant at United none made it there, they are a talent killer of a club. Money can be appealing but this nonsense they have a better project than us is hogwash.

Ebo

Don’t forget Sancho who went from promising starlet to smelly poop in his time there. Depay too. Yes you’re right, nothing to be worried about here.

Nacho de Montreal is tasty

We’ve had our own quite long list of players who had arrested development: Chambers, Holding, AMN, Nelson even Nketiah and those I forgot about.

JuiceJ

Then what’s the point of leaving for a worse new boss. Also the list you gave has one thing in common, none were exceptional talents unless you assume neither are the United recruits. Besides back then the young stars were bound to fail, lack of fighters and strong mentality from the elder players coupled with the fact that most were mediocre. Look now we have had Saka, Nwaneri and MLS coming out nicely. The last two integrating nicely in a well structured team with warriors helping to guide the young lads.

Jeremy

Well, either we won’t see him ever again. Or, he’ll be sold for 30 million after a successful loan somewhere and we’ll all be scratching our heads why we allowed that to happen. Either way I can’t muster the energy to wish him luck whilst he’s with that lot.

Emi Rates

I foresee a “if only Ayden Heaven was here we’d not be in this pickle, Arteta out!” brigade coming out in force at some point.

Bobbert

That’s unlikely, the only things we will be irritated about are the funds when united inevitably sell him to offset a large purchase to facilitate amorin’s playing style… and that we can’t have a song for him based on John denver’s ‘country roads’

David Somuah

The terms of the transfer are undisclosed, but given what we’ve done with other youngsters, I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a hefty sell-on clause in the transfer agreement. If he gets sold somewhere for 30 million and we have a sell on cause, it will be a payday for us too. When Chelsea sold Omari Hutchinson, we got 3 million out of it.

Savage

What does BBC mean when they say the fee is less than 30 million? Does it mean that it’s close to 30 million?

Eric Blair

29,999,999

Odinelli

Players should be represented by vetted agents. No representatives or green agents.

Only ones which are recommended from a centralised database with user ratings.

It’s not difficult at all for the FA to setup.

Odinelli

*young players, obviously I didn’t mean senior players

BigGap

Can understand if he was to move to increase his chances of playing. But to manu?
That’s a downgrade. Maybe he just feels he got a better chance to replace maguire than willo or big gap

Coneygc

At 53, I fancy my chances of getting picked over Maguire. No chance with Saliba or Gabriel.
Obviously hasn’t got enough about him to think he’ll play with our current list of defenders.

Frosty

I’d only take 1 months worth of Arsenal injuri

Trev

There would have been a pathway if he was good enough….
But obviously he wasn’t….

John

Heaven was unable to force his way past our number 6 who’ll give you hell.

Freddo

Ollie Watkins substituted for a “small pain” (Emery); Malen in; Villa stalking Rashford and other forwards; Villa in a tough place financially; Villa’s season basically over; the speculation about other Arsenal targets has disappeared. I really think that the Watkins deal is basically done.

Rochester

Love your optimism and hope you’re correct. Just having a hard time believing that will happen. But hope the Universe proves me wrong.

Sephirothevic

Pass it over, mate, you’ve had plenty. Hope you’re right though.

FREDDO

Villa reach agreement with PSG to loan Asensio!

Collibosher

Someone gave me a Man Utd lamp. It looks great in the middle of the table.

Andy

How much more did United offer him? That Danish young striker Obi-Martins who also left for United basically left for $$$$$.

Ray's Parlor

We’ve made quite a few bucks recently: 60+M in CL / Mika Biereth was sold to Monaco from Graz for 13M (we had a sell on clause) / a small fee for Heaven
Wondering if there might be a Watkins-shaped surprise incoming tomorrow

Nwobodo Fortune

Should have joined Frankfurt.
No way United is a better team or young players than Arsenal.

Arsenalfanthem

Good luck to him, he’ll probably have a better chance of first team football considering United are a shitshow at the moment.

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