During the summer transfer window, Arsenal's hunt to sign a central midfielder was well documented. One of the names high on Edu's list of targets was Leicester City star Youri Tielemans.
football.london reported during the window that the Belgian was keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium and that he would be willing to see out the last year of his Leicester contract before sealing a move. Though if a rival made an offer this summer, Arsenal would make a move.
The Gunners needed to sign a midfielder due to a lack of depth and quality in the middle of the park, and it was reported that Tielemans would be available for £30m. However, a deal failed to materialise. According to Sky Sports, Mikel Ateta's side 'cooled' their interest in the Belgian towards the end of the window.
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And so far this season it is proving to be a blessing in disguise, as not only has Tielemans heavily underperformed, but Charlie Patino is beginning to show why he is highly rated at the club, and there is potential to save a midfield spot for him.
Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey are two players whose place in the team are currently untouchable. Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohammed Elneny are the two backup players, but their levels in terms of quality do not compare with the two starters.
Instead of Edu splashing the cash in the January transfer window, the Gunners chief has the chance to be patient and wait for Patino to gain the necessary experience ahead of next season.
The 18-year-old showed the huge amount of quality he is equipped with during his senior debut against Sunderland last season, after capping off an impressive substitute cameo with his first senior goal.
This led to Arteta singing the praises for the youngster, saying: "He’s [Patino] a player that has a lot of personality. I’m delighted for him because he’s a kid that we like so much. To have his debut and score like that is something special."
Now on loan at Blackpool for the rest of the season, the promising youngster is gaining valuable experience and getting used to the physicality of first-team football which will prove crucial when returning to the Gunners ahead of next season.
And the youngster has gotten off to a bright start with the Seasiders, which was epitomised with his first goal on the weekend against Millwall. If the youngster follows in this trajectory, then it proves why Arteta was right not to splash the cash for Tielemans, and he could save £30m by trusting in Patino’s ability.
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