Scoring on your Arsenal debut as an 18-year-old isn’t something that happens very often but Charlie Patino pulled that off with ease when scoring his side’s final goal in their 5-1 rout of Sunderland in a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie in December 2021.
The youngster is highly regarded as one of the next best things at the Emirates Stadium and should he be given more opportunities to impress in the near future, Arsenal could have a real talent on their hands.
Here is all you need to know about the Gunners youth product, including where he plays, his career so far and what’s been said about him.
Who is Charlie Patino?
Charlie Patino is an 18-year-old footballer who plays as a midfielder for Arsenal. Born in Watford on October 17, 2003, Patino began his youth career at St Albans City and then joined Luton Town as a seven-year-old, before signing for Arsenal in 2015 at the age of 11 for a fee of £10,000. As well as being English, he also holds Spanish nationality.
He primarily plays as a central midfielder and has been described as more of the ‘ball-playing’ type, crediting the likes of Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires for influences on the way he plays. However, he has a particularly big affection for Santi Cazorla, and hopes to replicate his playing style.
Speaking in 2021, he said: “As a midfield player there’s so much I can learn from him (Cazorla), but from an attitude and professionalism perspective, and something a little closer to home, another player I really look up to is Bukayo Saka. He’s two years older than me and I’m working my hardest to try and follow in his footsteps. That’s the pathway I want to take at Arsenal.”
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Career so far
Since joining Arsenal at the age of 11, Patino has quickly risen up the youth ranks at the club and by the time he was 14, he was already playing for the U18s side. In the last two seasons, he scored twice and assisted four in 27 games, and eventually signed his first professional contract with the Gunners in October 2020 as a 17-year-old.
But on December 21, 2021, he was handed his professional debut by Mikel Arteta and scored in injury time of Arsenal’s 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Sunderland to mark a dream start to his Gunners career, while in the following month, he made his first start in the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. He has also featured in four other matchday squads.
With regards to his international career, Patino has featured for England U15s, U16s and U17s, while he is now a part of the U19s setup after making his debut in October 2021. However, he remains eligible for Spain through his father, while the Spanish FA have reportedly made attempts to get the youngster to switch allegiance.
What’s been said about him?
Patino has been described as the “best player who has ever walked through the doors at Hale End” by head of scouting at Arsenal, Sean O’Connor, while Arsenal scout Brian Stapleton, who discovered the 18-year-old, told Goal that he was "the best kid I've ever seen.”
He added: “I got a tip off about Charlie from a guy, so I went over there and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He was 11 and I think he was playing in the Under-13s, and I was like ‘wow’. His first touch was unbelievable, his vision, his awareness of space. He was way above his years, he was on another planet to anyone else on the pitch.”
When asked about the hype surrounding him, Arteta said: “I know, I know. I think that is very positive. [The fans] heard about him and know what he can become and now we have to cook him slowly. Today was a good start, I think. He still has a lot of competition in front of him. He is really young. And he needs to go step by step. Today he was lucky, he got the opportunity and he took it really well.”
