Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino made his debut for Swansea City on Saturday.
Whilst Swansea City slipped to a 3-2 defeat in their Championship clash with West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns Stadium, Charlie Patino was able to impress when introduced from the bench.
Patino only joined the Welsh outfit a few days ago, but went straight into Michael Duff’s squad to face the Baggies. The 19-year-old midfielder looked sharp when he took to the field with an hour of the match gone and his team trailing. However, he was able to get on the ball and set up teammate Harry Darling to score. Nathan Wood added a second minutes later as the Swans tried to pull off an unlikely comeback.
Whilst the result didn’t go their way, Swansea fans will have liked what they saw in Patino’s cameo. Big things will be expected from the teenage Arsenal man in the second tier this season.
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Is there still a future for Patino at Arsenal?
He is certainly well thought of at the Emirates Stadium. Having been dubbed a ‘genius’ by Foot The Ball, it seemed that his days with the north London club were all but done earlier this summer. Patino was thought to want a permanent move away from Arsenal, having been with the club since he was 11.
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However, given the fact he has only joined Swansea on loan, there may well still be a future for him at Arsenal. Mikel Arteta certainly hasn’t closed the door on Patino. The Spanish coach is well aware of how talented the youngster is and how much potential he has.
Patino has a long way to go before getting regular game time for the Gunners, but with Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny, and Jorginho all ageing, there is a pathway to the first team available for him.
A consistently impressive loan stint with Swansea will go a long way to getting him in the frame for a first team role under Arteta next season. Patino made a positive first step in that regard on Saturday.