Highly rated 16-year-old may be about to join his former teammate at Arsenal

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Arsenal may be closing in on another highly rated teenager for their academy.

If the move does materialise, the youngster would be arriving alongside a familiar face.

The news comes from Arsenal youth expert Jeorge Bird, who reports that 16-year-old Shamrock Rovers defender Maxim Afonin has seemingly visited the club’s academy for a second time.

That’s particularly intriguing as a second trial visit rarely happens without serious intent from both parties.

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Afonin, who can play on either side of central defence, previously represented the Republic of Ireland at Under-15 level and has seven caps to his name at that age group.

He is yet to make his senior debut for Shamrock Rovers but has clearly caught the eye of Arsenal’s recruitment team anyway.

Why Arsenal keep returning to Ireland for youth talent

The familiar face in question is Victor Ozhianvuna, the 16-year-old midfielder who Arsenal have already agreed a pre-contract with in a deal understood to be an Irish record fee for a youth player.

Ozhianvuna will join the Gunners when he turns 18, having already made 15 league appearances for Shamrock this season as well as featuring twice in the Europa Conference League.

That Arsenal are now seemingly going back for his teammate is further evidence of a relationship between the two clubs that has been very deliberately cultivated.

Shamrock manager Stephen Bradley came through the Arsenal academy as a player, and the Gunners have spent the last three years building a scouting network in Ireland with the specific intention of getting there first.

And it appears to be working.

They signed Ceadach O’Neill from Linfield after declaring their interest in 2023, and last year made a move for the highly rated Mason Melia from St Patrick’s Athletic — only to lose out to Tottenham in that particular race. We have to let them have some nice things.

Ozhianvuna and potentially Afonin suggest the pipeline is now operating at full speed.

Two highly rated teenagers from the same Irish club in quick succession is a real statement from Arsenal’s academy operation — and given how early they appear to be in this particular project, probably not the last one either.