Dan Casey has now made three appearances for the Fulham u21s after it was confirmed the out-of-contract Arsenal academy player is on a trial with the London club.
Charlie Wyett and Simon Collings report for The S*n that Dan Casey is on trial with Premier League side Fulham, after his contract at Arsenal came to an end last summer.
The 18-year-old has now made three appearances for the Fulham u21s, coming off the bench against Ipswich Town and Manchester United before earning a start against Middlesbrough on Friday night.
Casey completed the full 90 minutes of the Middlesbrough clash in central midfield, with the game finishing 1-1.
Casey’s deal with Arsenal expired in June 2025, but the Gunners offered him fresh terms to extend his stay in north London.
The teenager turned that offer down amid rival proposals from the likes of Crystal Palace, but Arsenal still had to reach an agreement with Palace over a compensation fee.
Unlike with free agents over the age of 23, who can simply switch team without a fee, youth players like Casey with a contract offer on the table require their old club to be compensated.
As a result, even though Casey was keen on – and agreed – a move to Palace, the club ended up pulling out of the signing after negotiations with Arsenal.
Reports had suggested that Palace and Arsenal had already agreed a compensation fee, so quite why Palace pulled out remains a mystery. Perhaps they simply decided moving forward with the agreed package no longer felt worth it.
The result is that Casey has been left in limbo, not contracted to Arsenal but unable to sign for a new club unless that club agrees terms with the Gunners first.
Whether Fulham look to progress Casey’s trial to a professional contract remains to be seen, but Arsenal will be pleased he’s playing again.
Casey scored 21 goals for the Arsenal u18s in 2024/25, netting 18 times in 21 games in the u18 Premier League, twice in three games in the FA Youth Cup, and once in two u18 Premier League Cup appearances.