Arsenal’s Charlie Patino, currently on loan at Swansea City, could be set for a summer move after failing to impress in South Wales.
The Standard reports that the 20-year-old, once touted as the next big thing in East London, is now out of favour after disappointing for the Swans. With a dual Spanish passport, it’s believed he could be hunting a fresh start in La Liga, given how drastically things have turned around in the UK. Just six months ago he was linked with Juventus, underlining how quickly reputations can take a dive.
The 20-year-old has been with the Gunners since 2015, following a £10,000 move from Luton Town as an 11-year-old. He came through the ranks at the Emirates, also appearing throughout the age groups for England. His debut for his employer came in 2021 the EFL Cup against Sunderland, where he also bagged his first senior goal. He followed that up in the FA Cup against Forest a few weeks later, but didn’t score.
Charlie Patino hasn’t started a league game while on loan at Swansea City for four months.
Arsenal aren’t happy with the midfielders’ minutes since the turn of the year.
The club have a big decision to make ahead of the summer with Ethan Nwaneri and Lewis Myles-Skelly now above… pic.twitter.com/LxdT2xEhdg
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) April 11, 2024
At the start of the 2022/23 season, he joined Championship side Blackpool on loan, making 37 senior appearances and scoring three times. That impressed Swansea City, where he was a regular starter up until the FA Cup game against Morecambe. He started and scored in that fixture, but has since not completed a 90-minute game, starting just once more, in the FA Cup.
His current deal has a year to run, and it’s now believed his chances of breaking into Mikel Arteta’s side are minimal, given the quality coming through the ranks behind him. With little exposure to first-team football in the Championship, the slight, but skilful midfielder is thought to be targeting a move to the continent, where his physical attributes might not be such a hindrance.
Writer’s View
It’s hard to pinpoint what has gone wrong for Patino at the Liberty Stadium. Up to December, he had three goals and four assists in the second tier, but things have gone awry since then. He failed to complete 90 minutes in the league all season, and even before December only managed more than 75 minutes on four occasions.
There’s no doubt he is a talented boy, but there may be a touch of the Jaden Sancho in him. Sancho couldn’t break through in England but went to the continent, where the game appreciates slightly built, talented players, and thrived.
If Patino does move across the channel, there’s no doubt he’s going to be better placed to utilise his skillset. Perhaps the Championship has just become a bit too competitive, fast and aggressive for the likes of him, and others, such as Lewis Fiorini, his teammate at Blackpool who also struggled in the second tier.
