Phoenix Blayney

Arsenal confirm the signing of Northern Ireland goalkeeper Phoenix Blayney

Arsenal have confirmed on their official site the agreement reached with Larne for Phoenix Blayney, a 15-year-old goalkeeper already capped by Northern Ireland at U17 level. His age dictates the timeline: he will join the academy in summer 2027 with the 2027/28 scholar intake, and sign his first professional deal in November 2027, when he turns 17. Liverpool and Nottingham Forest had both made offers after a trial; his father explained that Arsenal were the club he connected with. Eight appearances for Northern Ireland's U17s so far, five of them in European Championship qualifying.

Latest development

1. File opened on 27/08, on the official announcement of 25 August. We missed this signing when it was announced: it is confirmed by Arsenal.com, then followed up by Daily Cannon, ArsenalNews and Jeorge Bird's reference academy coverage. Nothing is pending, the file is closed — the one nuance worth keeping is that he will not actually arrive for another two years.