Ceadach O’Neill Expected to Start for Arsenal Against Fleetwood

Ceadach O’Neill is expected to start for Arsenal in tonight’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Fleetwood Town, with the 18-year-old set to make his competitive debut at Highbury Stadium, according to TikiTakaConnor.

The same source suggests O’Neill will be joined in the starting lineup by Marli Salmon, who has already made several first-team appearances, as well as Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyökeres and Max Dowman. Marcell Washington, the son of former Chelsea and England defender Ryan Bertrand, and Andre Harriman-Annous are also expected to be included in the squad.

The forward’s selection would come at an opportune moment. With Bukayo Saka sidelined after being forced off against Bayern Munich and Christos Tzolis still working his way back from a hamstring injury, Mikel Arteta is short of options in wide areas, and the cup tie offers the perfect platform for one of the club’s brightest academy talents.

O’Neill has been knocking on the door for some time. He featured in pre-season friendlies against Girona and Real Betis in August, scored in a behind-closed-doors fixture against MK Dons, and was an unused substitute in the 3-0 Champions League win over Lille earlier this month.

That progress follows an outstanding 2025/26 campaign in which he finished as the academy’s top scorer, netting 18 goals in 30 games across three age groups. The attacker is also comfortable anywhere across the forward line, serving as a versatile option.

Arteta has already made his admiration clear. Speaking after the friendly against Betis in the summer, the Arsenal boss said, ‘I’ve been really impressed with him. For his age, he’s really mature, really focused, and he has tremendous quality. He’s a player that we have big hopes with and we just need to develop him in the right way.’

His rise has also made him the face of a wider recruitment shift at Arsenal. Since Brexit ended English clubs’ ability to sign under-18 players from the European Union, the Gunners have increasingly turned to Scotland and Northern Ireland, bringing in the likes of Callan Hamill from St Johnstone, Evan Mooney from St Mirren and Daniel McCarron from Dungannon Swifts.

O’Neill has also had to navigate a tug of war over his international future. After winning his first two senior caps for Northern Ireland against Guinea and France in June, he was approached by the Football Association of Ireland about switching allegiance to the Republic. However, two further appearances in the Nations League against Georgia and Ukraine have now tied him to Michael O’Neill’s side under FIFA’s eligibility rules.