Arsenal helplessly watched from afar as former Hale End superstar Chido Obi joined Manchester United in 2024.
Mikel Arteta didn’t want Obi to leave, but Arsenal had no means to fight for him to stay.
Firstly, Obi’s financial demands were a tall order, as was the expectation from his representatives that he’d have a pathway into the Arsenal first team.
The different hurdles led to the Dane signing for Man United as a free agent, a move that he surely regrets now.
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Ruben Amorim’s remarkable comment about former Arsenal starlet Chido Obi
One reason behind Obi’s transfer was to take considerable steps towards playing regular first-team football in the Premier League, something he believed he could do at Man United.
Since then, things haven’t gone to plan, as Man United are open to sending Obi on loan to a lower league in January, where he can gain experience.
It’s become clear that leaving would be the best route for the striker to boost his game time, as Ruben Amorim clearly hasn’t been impressed.
In a press conference before Man United’s meeting with Bournemouth, Amorim unleashed a shocking rant, where he took aim at several academy talents.
“He [Toby Collyer] played [for the first team]. He’s from the academy. He played here. He went to West Bromwich. He’s not playing. He played for Manchester United. So sometimes it’s not because he’s from the academy or whatever,” Amorim said.
The United boss then mentioned Harry Amass, saying he’s ‘struggling’ on loan in the Championship, leading him to share a word on Obi.
“Chido [Obi] is not always a starter in under 21s. All these guys played when a lot of people were saying sack the manager!”
It was a completely unacceptable account from Amorim, who blasted the young players to defend his own struggles as United manager.
Chido Obi surely regrets leaving Arsenal
What it does show, however, is that Obi isn’t anywhere near being in Amorim’s first team plans, which is a blow.
It’s 2030, who does Chido Obi play for?
It’s not only the blocked pathway to first-team football that might have the 18-year-old regretting his transfer, but also what his manager is publicly saying about him.
At Arsenal, there would’ve been plenty of opportunities for Obi in and around the first team, just as there have been for the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman.
Even Rio Ferdinand thinks Obi would be playing for Arsenal by now, but sadly, the reality is that he’s far from that situation at United.
Making the jump from an academy to a Premier League first team isn’t easy, particularly at a club very much in transition like United, which Obi has had to learn the hard way.
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