Out-of-contract Arsenal academy youngster Dan Casey made an appearance for the Fulham u21s on Friday as he continues the hunt for a new club.
Arsenal youth product Dan Casey came to the end of his contract last summer, but the club offered him fresh terms to extend his stay in north London.
Casey turned the offer down amid rival proposals from the likes of Crystal Palace, but Arsenal still had to reach an agreement with Palace over compensation for the midfielder.
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.
Such an agreement may now be in the works, with Casey training with fellow London club Fulham last week before playing for their u21s on a trial basis on Friday.
Casey came on as a substitute in a 2-1 win over Ipswich Town, playing 21 minutes of the match.
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.
The Gunners would ideally have liked him to return to the club and sign their contract offer, but that’s seemed improbable for a while now.
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.
The teenager also made the step up to the u19s and the u21s on eight occasions, though he was less impactful in those limited minutes, with no goals or assists above u18 football so far.