Ayden Heaven set to follow Chido Obi-Martin in leaving Arsenal for ...

€300k market value 

©TM/IMAGO

Last season, Chido Obi-Martin shot to prominence for his prolific performances in Arsenal's youth ranks. He caught the attention of the footballing world at just 15 years of age, when he became a viral sensation after scoring a mind-blowing 10 goals in one game, as Arsenal's under-16 side claimed a scintillating 14-3 victory over Liverpool's youth side last November. However, the Gunners were unable to keep the young Dane and sign him up on a professional contract, with Obi-Martin instead leaving to sign for Premier League rivals Manchester United. This January it looks as though history is repeating itself.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal U18 defender Ayden Heaven is set to reject a new contract from Arsenal, as well as offers from Frankfurt and Barcelona, to sign for Man United. His medical is set to be booked this week, with the agreement reportedly being formally sealed. Heaven made his first-team debut with the Gunners from the bench in their 3-0 EFL Cup win at Preston, but has also been named among the Arsenal substitutes in both the Premier League and the Champions League this season.

Manager Mikel Arteta praised Heaven after he started and played 45 minutes in Arsenal’s pre-season win over United at the SoFi Stadium in California on July 28. "Very impressive. I don’t know how many players are able to do that on a stage like this [at his age]." Arteta said. Heaven made a mistake in that game that led to a United goal, but Arteta was impressed with his reaction: "He’s lost a duel against [Rasmus Hojlund], one of the strongest and fastest players in the world, it can happen. But the reaction afterwards, the composure, the quality, the body language that he had were all remarkable. I’m really happy with him."

Left-footed and standing at 1.89 metres, Heaven is usually deployed as a centre-half, but has the capabilities to play left-back or even central midfield. According to Transfermarkt data, in his 21 appearances in the Premier League 2 with Arsenal U21s, Heaven has played 15 games at centre-back, four at left-back and one at left-midfield. The youngster received his first market value back in March 2024 of €300k, which remains his worth today.