Ayden Heaven left Arsenal and joined Manchester United in February 2025.
The teenager was part of the Gunners’ academy since 2019, having joined when he was just a kid. He came through Hale End, developed into a top-class talent and even made one senior appearance for the club.
Arsenal rated Heaven very highly, but when he made the decision to leave at the start of this year, they weren’t too fussed – because of Marli Salmon.
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Arsenal accepted Ayden Heaven’s departure because they knew Marli Salmon was coming through
Salmon has had a big week at Arsenal.
The 16-year-old made his debut for the Gunners against Club Brugge in the Champions League, and he has been earning a lot of praise since.
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Salmon can play in two positions – centre-back and right-back – which makes him a very good option to have in the squad in case of emergencies.
People inside Arsenal have known about Salmon’s ability and potential for a long time. In fact, he is one of the reasons why they didn’t fight overly hard to keep Ayden Heaven.
The latter decided that he wanted to leave Arsenal, and after links to several clubs in England and abroad, he chose to join Manchester United.
The Daily Mail have now revealed that the Gunners internally accepted Heaven’s departure because they knew Salmon was coming through and had an even higher ceiling.
“The defender’s ability to learn quickly, as well as a series of noticeable traits seen so far this season, such as his ball-carrying and reading of the game, has made the teenager a valued commodity,” the outlet writes.
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What Arsenal sources are saying about Marli Salmon
It is no secret that Arsenal have high hopes for Salmon.
The 16-year-old is an elite talent and has the potential to become one of the best centre-backs in the world in a few years’ time. Some at Arsenal even think Salmon is their ‘next young star’ after Max Dowman.
Everyone who has watched the young defender over the last year has been impressed.
One source told the Mail: “On the ball, he’s excellent, and physically for his age, he’s strong. Typically, you get chances as a centre back at first-team level later on as you then grow into an adult, but he could well be one of the players that breaks through and gets an early opportunity.”
Another added: “He’s good in one-v-one scenarios and moves very well. The first-team coaches like him. He has a good jump on him. He’s nearly 6ft now, he’ll be at least 6ft 3in. It’s hard to break through as a centre back at Arsenal, but he’s doing well.”
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