Charlie Patino will leave Arsenal on a loan deal for the upcoming season and join Championship side Swansea.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Charlie Patino will leave Arsenal for Swansea and spend the whole season on loan with the Championship side. The Arsenal prodigy wanted to go permanently earlier, but the decision to depart temporarily might have come to fruition due to a lack of concrete offers.
Charlie Patino remains one of the best talents the Hale End Academy has produced recently. The 19-year-old became a fan favourite after some accomplished performances for the youth teams. He got decent minutes under Mikel Arteta during the 2021-22 season.
That year, he scored on his senior debut against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal. Patino only played two senior games, none in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta certainly rates him and wants to see him flourish.
The Gunners had the option to extend his current deal by a further two years. They beat a January deadline by triggering the extension in late December. In May, Patino decided to leave Arsenal permanently, as many expected the interest from rival clubs to mount.
In the ensuing months, the Arsenal prodigy received no concrete offers to leave the club despite the Gunners being open to a deal. Hence, the midfielder has decided to leave on yet another loan deal, this time to the Championship.
Swansea are the club tipped to take the 19-year-old on a season-long loan deal and help him develop further. Patino had an eventful loan spell at Blackpool last season, making 34 appearances in the Championship.
Considering how highly-rated Patino is, the current deal may please some Gunners fans. He will return to the club as there’s no buy option in the loan agreement. Arsenal will decide his future next season. Many expected Patino to play a vital role in replacing Granit Xhaka steadily after the Swiss star’s exit this summer.
The fans had hoped that Patino and some other stars from the academy could become the future of Arsenal.
They will feel satisfied with the club’s decision to send him on loan to shore up his skills. Earlier in the summer, the Gunners were about to lose another academy prospect Ethan Nwaneri, until he signed a new deal to stay here.
Patino must push for starts and gain massive experience before returning to Arsenal next summer. Arteta would like to see a promising player flourish and challenge for a place in the first-team squad next season.