Journalist Charles Watts has now established where Arsenal stand on the future of Charlie Patino.
Arsenal youngster Charlie Patino is currently on loan with Championship outfit Swansea City.
The 20-year-old midfielder is highly thought of at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta handed the Hale End academy product his first-team debut back in December 2021. The player came on as a substitute in an EFL Cup clash against Sunderland, and was even able to grab a goal on his maiden appearance for the north London club.
Patino earned plenty of praise in his early days at Swansea. However, things have been tougher for the Arsenal starlet in recent weeks. He has been in and out of the starting XI for the Welsh side, and has now gone seven matches in the second tier without contributing a goal or an assist.
The England under-21 international still has huge potential though, and Arsenal won’t want to give up on him at this stage.
However, Charles Watts believes that Arteta will face a difficult job in convincing Patino to commit his long-term future to the club.
Charles Watts reveals Arsenal stance on Charlie Patino
Speaking on his Inside Arsenal YouTube channel, the reporter said, “my latest information on Charlie Patino is that he’s at Swansea, he’s had a bit of an up-and-down. He had a really good start, then minutes have been harder to come by right now but he’s really enjoying himself, is popular there and I don’t think he comes back or goes anywhere else this month. The plan right now, as far as I’m aware, is that he’s going to stay the season at Swansea and then a decision will be made in the summer. He’ll have one year left on his contract.”
Watts also made it clear that Arsenal delivered a very specific message to the player and his representatives when his temporary switch to south Wales was confirmed. The journalist said, “Arsenal were open to letting him go last summer but they changed their mind on that as the window progressed, sent him out on loan and said to him and his people ‘Okay, spend the season on loan at Swansea and come back and we’ll make a decision on you’.”
When Patino returns to Arsenal at the end of this season, he will face a huge challenge in forcing his way into the manager’s immediate first team plans. Although a midfield overhaul is on the cards at Arsenal, the academy gem is not yet at a stage where he is pushing hard for regular involvement.
As Watts said, “I think it’s going to take a lot for Arsenal to persuade Patino’s people and him that he has a real pathway and a chance of making it at Arsenal. I don’t think it’s impossible, but I think it’s going to take a lot and they’re really going to have to show him that if he does stick around, he does stay that he is going to get minutes and he is going to be a key part of the plans.”
If Arsenal can’t guarantee Patino regular minutes, then it makes sense for the club to cash in on him this summer, before his contract can run down any further. They should be able to attract a decent fee for the player given his potential, and sporting director Edu should make inserting a buy-back clause in any deal to sell Patino a priority, giving the Gunners a measure of security if he goes on to become a top star.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
