By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Victor Ozhianvuna from Shamrock Rovers, in what is expected to be a record transfer for the League of Ireland club.
Born in Tallaght to Russian and Nigerian parents, the highly rated forward has long been on the radar of top European clubs.
Rovers manager Stephen Bradley admitted back in July that a deal was nearly complete with an unnamed side — now revealed to be Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
As part of the agreement, Ozhianvuna will remain with Shamrock Rovers until he turns 18 in January 2027, allowing him to complete the 2025/26 campaign before making the move to North London. He is set to sign a pre-contract with Arsenal in the meantime.
Though financial details remain undisclosed, the fee is believed to surpass the £1.6 million Tottenham Hotspur paid for Mason Melia from St Patrick’s Athletic — which would make Ozhianvuna the most expensive outgoing transfer in League of Ireland history.
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the teenager has already undergone his medical, with the deal expected to be finalized and officially signed in the coming days.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
