It seems that Charlie Patino is set to depart Arsenal this summer.
David Ornstein of the Athletic broke the news that Patino is unwilling to head out on loan again next season, keen to play consistent minutes, something he is unlikely to be afforded in north London next term. The Gunners are open to facilitating the teenager's wishes and football.london has come to learn that it is very much a timing issue regarding Patino given Mikel Arteta's side are keen to bolster their options in the middle of the park during the summer transfer window.
This means that the 19-year-old just wouldn't be afforded the game time that he is craving, making a permanent exit a sensible solution for all parties. Patino's proposed exit initially seems like a big blow for Arsenal considering how highly Arteta has spoken of him in the past but the club's Hale End academy has a wealth of other midfield options coming through, most notably Myles Lewis-Skelly.
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Lewis-Skelly is a special talent, possessing a rare blend of elite ball-carrying, intelligent movement and remarkable physical prowess despite being just 16 years old. Clips have gone viral of the talented teenager darting past opposition midfielders, elegantly knocking the ball past his peers who can't get near him when running at full speed.
That kind of talent resulted in him making his debut for Arsenal's Under-18 side when he was just 14 and he was a key member of Jack Wilshere's team to reach the final of the FA Youth Cup this season, netting the winner against Manchester City in the dying embers of the semi-final. Wilshere himself then admitted that Lewis-Skelly was 'unplayable' at times, high praise indeed for one of the best talents to come out of the club's famed academy setup.
The youngster typically is utilised as a number six or number eight, where he can roam in midfield but he can also be deployed as a left-back, where U21s boss Mehmet Ali utilised him back in January. Wilshere told The Athletic: “I don’t think he’ll be a left-back; he’ll be a midfielder.
"But if we give him a little bit of everything (it will help). It’s important for him. You look at our first team and the way football’s going with players like Oleksandr Zinchenko, the full-back has to be able to play inside.”
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