Why Arsenal ‘remain vulnerable’ in contract talks with Chido Obi-Martin, they face one huge problem

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Arsenal have a problem on their hands as they attempt to keep prodigal young striker Chido Obi-Martin at the club this summer.

Chido Obi-Martin has exploded onto the scene with the under-18s, breaking an all-time Arsenal Academy scoring record as he struck an astonishing 32 goals in 18 under-18 Premier League games.

The 16-year-old is one of the best strikers to have come through at Hale End in a long time, but his goalscoring antics have not gone unnoticed, with Bayern Munich among the clubs reportedly interested in him.

Mikel Arteta has made a concerted effort to tie the teenager down to a new Arsenal contract, but this has not proven easy so far, and the nightmare possibility of Obi-Martin leaving for free this summer remains on the cards.

Arsenal face obstacle in contract talks with Chido Obi-Martin

In his column for Caught Offside, journalist Charles Watts revealed that Arsenal have been in talks with the striker over a new deal, but they cannot tie him down before December.

“Arsenal are working hard to try and keep Chido Obi Martin at the club and remain in talks with his camp. As far as I’m aware nothing has been decided yet when it comes to his future. Arsenal do not want to lose him and they have made that clear during recent talks,” Watts explained.

“A first professional contract is on the table for Chido Obi Martin that could be signed the moment he turns 17. But he is not 17 until December and so Arsenal remain vulnerable to the in-demand striker leaving before then.”

Arsenal must convince Chido Obi-Martin that he has pathway to action

Arsenal face a tough job in convincing Obi-Martin that he has a pathway to first-team action, which is an important factor in his decision.

Obi-Martin has mostly played at under-18 level, but he expressed a desire to move up to under-21s, which given his goal record last season, would be the right thing to do.

Pre-season could even see him train with the first-team, and if Arteta is desperate to keep him, he may be tempted to hand him minutes like he did with Ethan Nwaneri two years ago.

Mika Biereth was sold this summer, opening up more space for Obi-Martin, whilst Eddie Nketiah has also been linked with an exit, and this could help create a clear path for the Danish striker to eventually reach the first-team.