Summary
Highly-touted Arsenal academy product Charlie Patino has struggled since leaving the club.
Patino was described as the best player to come out of the club's youth system.
Despite setbacks, Patino is still seen as having extraordinary talent waiting to be unearthed.
There have been several highly touted youngsters to come out of the Arsenal academy in recent times. The likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have already broken into the first team. Chido Obi Martin and Ayden Heaven both left the club and are now featuring in the senior ranks for Manchester United, and Max Dowman is believed to have the brightest future of them all. The 15-year-old has lit things up for the youth team, and there are already calls to have him promoted to Mikel Arteta’s squad. However, a word of warning about what can happen when too much pressure is placed on a young star may come in the form of Charlie Patino. Patino was a highly rated budding superstar during his time at the club, with several high-profile figures believing him to have a massive future. Now 21, things have not exactly gone according to plan for the midfielder.
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The midfielder has not adapted to his new environment as well as hoped
If you spoke to anyone about Patino when he first broke through at Arsenal, you would think for sure that he would go on to become a club icon. As per the Express, Shaun O’Connor, an academy scout for the Gunners, described him as the best player the youth system had ever produced, saying:
"The best player who has ever walked through the doors at Hale End."
It seemed as though the prophecy was destined to come true when Patino made his first senior appearance for the club, coming off the bench to score in an EFL Cup quarter-final against Sunderland back in the 2021/22 season.
While his debut was the stuff of fairytales, the remainder of Patino's Arsenal career did not turn out that way. He would make just one more appearance and, after loan spells at Blackpool and Swansea, he opted for a change of scenery and moved to Spain to join La Liga B side Deportivo La Coruna. The club have a rich history in Spanish football, having won the La Liga title back in 2000. However, by the time Patino arrived, the second-tier outfit were a long way from those heights. Speaking to The Guardian after the move, Patino explained: "I want to show what I can do here. I’ve been watching, analysing. This is my game: pass and move, drive, create. Simple. Effective. Brilliant basics. Don’t over-complicate but play with intent. I’m new; when I get my chance, I’m going to take it. It’s patience, timing. Wait, be ready." However, in his first season, the 21-year-old made just seven appearances for the side that finished in 15th. He failed to add any goals or assists to his name, yet despite that, not all hope is lost.
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Patino Deemed an 'Extraordinary' Talent
The midfielder is still being backed by one Spanish analyst
Despite the tough campaign, Patino has been backed by Spanish analyst Ivan Blanco, who still believes that there is a player waiting to be unearthed in the youngster. Taking to X, Blanco wrote: "Tough season, for whatever reason, but man, every time he comes on, whether you look at it from a tactical, technical, or physical perspective, he's an extraordinary talent. "45 minutes of Charlie Patino that, seen on delay, only reinforce the idea that you have to trust him." The comments echo a similar sentiment to that of former Gunner Jack Wilshere, who was one of many who spoke highly of the midfielder, who he was often compared to. Discussing Patino's potential with The Independent back in 2021, Wilshere said that the budding star was "definitely one who everyone at the training ground is talking about. "The first-team players know who he is and he is a good player and one for the future for sure. There are quite a few [similarities] but he is a different player as well and I think it is important people see him for who he is rather than say: ‘oh he is the next Jack Wilshere. "He has certainly got some qualities I didn’t have and there are things he needs to work on but he is going to make a name for himself in the future." All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and Sofascore - accurate as of 29/05/2025.