Newcastle beat Tottenham to snap up highly-rated prospect from Arsenal

Newcastle United have won the race to sign Arsenal prospect Kyran Thompson, after Tottenham had reportedly been close to securing his signature.

The 16-year-old is set for another big move in his very young career already, having moved to Arsenal from West Ham two years ago.

The winger is one of the standout talents in the Gunners’ academy, already making his Under-21 debut in Premier League 2 despite not turning 17 until September.

Thompson has also been capped by England Under-17s, with four appearances for his country at that level.

Arsenal were working on a new contract for the teenager after his scholarship terms came to an end, but have failed to do so.

Tottenham were heavily linked with snapping up the promising talent, while Manchester City had also shown an interest in him.

However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Newcastle have got the deal done and will bring in Thompson on a free transfer.

It is a blow to Arsenal, who have shown plenty of willingness to give young players a chance in the first team under Mikel Arteta.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman have been notable arrivals on the first team scene over the last 18 months and will expect more opportunities to come – although Nwaneri’s future is somewhat uncertain after his loan to Marseille last season.

Marli Salmon and Jaden Dixon also made their senior debuts last season and Thompson, it was assumed, was on course to follow suit in the coming years.

Securing the signing of Thompson will be a plus for Newcastle after missing out on another first team signing in Johan Manzambi.

The Magpies agreed a deal with Freiburg to sign midfielder Johan Manzambi but have been gazumped by Aston Villa in a deal worth just over £51m.

The 20-year-old is the latest player Newcastle have missed out on at the last minute after Victor Munoz last month.

It looked likely the Spaniard was joining from Osasuna but has moved to Liverpool instead.

This came after a summer of transfer frustrations in 2025, including missing out on Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool and Benjamin Sesko to Manchester United.

Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali have already departed this summer, with the England winger moving to Barcelona for just short of £70m and the Italy international going to Spurs for £100m.