The real reason that Hale End academy wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin now looks destined to leave Arsenal has been revealed.
Chido Obi-Martin looks set to leave Arsenal in this summer transfer window.
There has been huge excitement about the 16-year-old striker in North London for some time. Obi-Martin broke a number of Arsenal academy records with his goalscoring exploits last season.
However, despite the Dane being one of the most highly-rated youngsters on the Gunners’ books, Mikel Arteta and academy director Per Mertesacker now seem to have accepted that they need to let him go.
Manchester United are now seeking to strike a deal for the teenage sensation, as reported by The Athletic. There will certainly be many Arsenal fans frustrated if Obi-Martin leaves the club, and that anger will hit a peak if he makes the switch to Old Trafford, given the historic rivalry between the two giants of English football.
The Gunners did make efforts to convince the youngster to stay and pen new terms at the Emirates Stadium, but when an impasse in negotiations was reached a big decision had to be made.
Why Arsenal have asked Chido Obi-Martin to leave the club in this summer transfer window
According to Football Transfers, Obi-Martin was “asked to leave the club” after he turned down Arsenal’s best offer of a new deal. The teenager’s representatives asked for improved terms, beyond what the Gunners were willing to put forward.
Arsenal were not to be swayed by the player’s demands, and hold the internal belief that any player open to leaving the club ought to be moved on in any case.
Obi-Martin looks set to join the Red Devils, and will certainly have faith in his ability to eventually break into the first team there.
Would losing Obi-Martin be a disaster for Arsenal?
Clearly, losing the player would not have been the Gunners’ first choice of outcomes, as they offered him a new contract. If he does go on to sign for Manchester United then that will leave a bitter taste, too.
From a PR perspective, losing such a promising talent never looks good for a club. However, it is far from guaranteed that Obi-Martin will go on to become any kind of superstar. Countless players have shone at academy level, only to then fail to translate that impact to senior football.
That is not to say that Obi-Martin will fall short in a similar fashion, but it is certainly a possibility. After all, he currently enjoys certain physical advantages over his peers, such as his size and strength. Those factors will become less pronounced in first team football, though, and then it will become easier to gauge just how good he can actually become.
It is also vital that Arsenal don’t set a precedent of caving in to demands from academy players. A number of Hale End starlets are accompanying Arteta’s first team on their pre-season tour of the US at this time, and sending a clear message of how things work, and the club’s expectations, to these youngsters in important.
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