Man Utd swoop to sign former Arsenal man on free transfer with second deal poised to follow
Hubert Graczyk has signed on at Man Utd
Manchester United have swooped to sign goalkeeper Hubert Graczyk following his exit from Arsenal, with a second deal for another former Gunners youngster close to being completed.
Graczyk failed to make a first-team appearance for the Gunners during his time in north London, but he was a regular at Under-18s and Under-21s level.
The 21-year-old also spent a period on loan at National League South side while under contract at The Emirates, although he only made four appearances.
The Poland-born stopper was unable to come to an agreement with Mikel Arteta’s side over a new contract over the summer though and ended up dropping into the free agent pool.
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However, he was not on the market for very long, with United moving to secure his services.
“Buzzing to have signed for this massive club, let’s get to work,” the young goalkeeper wrote on Instagram, as he prepares to be a regular part of United’s Under-21 squad.
Speaking back in January 2023, Graczyk revealed one of the weaknesses he was working on to take his game to another level, while also commenting on the former Arsenal keepers he has looked to learn from.
“What I’m particularly working on at the moment is dealing with crosses. That’s a big one for me. I’m not the biggest goalkeeper, I’m 6ft 1in which is on the smaller side for a keeper,” said Graczyk.
“(The coaches) have told me to bold, go for it and they are always pushing me to go higher and higher.
“There were some World Cup matches on while we were away, and I obviously watched them looking mainly at the keepers. Wojciech Szczesny did really well for Poland. He’s one I always look to anyway. My dad’s a big Arsenal fan, all my family are Arsenal fans, I grew up an Arsenal fan, so it was always Wojciech and Lukasz Fabianski I looked at.
“Another ex-Arsenal keeper, Emiliano Martinez, did well for Argentina too. I was impressed with the Croatian keeper (Dominik Livakovic), Guillermo Ochoa for Mexico as well, of course – he always turns up for the World Cup!”
Graczyk now has the chance to take his game to the next level at Old Trafford after failing to make that breakthrough at Arsenal.
United still pushing for Obi-Martin deal
Meanwhile, United are also still working on a deal for Chido Obi-Martin, who saw his own Arsenal contract expire over the summer.
The 16-year-old striker has agreed to make the move to Old Trafford, but there has still not been any confirmation as yet over a deal for the teenage talent.
Journalist Christopher Michel has previously reported that a tribunal could be required to determine the compensation fee, as United cannot sign the forward on a free transfer despite the fact his Arsenal contract has now expired.
A deal is fully expected to go through though and will likely be confirmed over the coming weeks.
Obi-Martin scored 32 goals in 18 league matches for Arsenal Under-18s last season and is widely regarded as one of the best young talents in europe.
In terms of why such a top young talent was let go, it’s reported that Arsenal had been eager for Obi-Martin to continue with the club but ended up walking away from negotiations.
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The Gunners had offered the youngster a place in their Under-18 squad with the opportunity to play up for the Under-21s when possible and potentially even train with the first team.
However, Obi Martin wanted to go straight to the Under-21s, while the Daily Mail reports there were also disagreements over money. The teenager was said to be asking for an amount that was “very far away from what Arsenal were willing to pay.”