Charlie Patino, on loan from Arsenal to Swansea City, appears to have a future with his home club.
That’s after Gunners boss Mikel Arteta suggested that the 20-year-old still has a chance to force himself into the first-team picture at The Emirates Stadium.
How has Patino’s career gone so far?
Having come through the academy ranks at Arsenal, Patino enjoyed a dream senior debut for the Gunners when he scored on debut in a League Cup quarter-final win over Sunderland in December 2020.
However, the midfielder subsequently made just one more senior appearance for Arteta’s side, before he was loaned out to Blackpool for the 2022/23 campaign.
During his time with the Seasiders, Patino scored three goals and provided fur assists in 37 appearances in all competitions, although he was unable to prevent the club suffering relegation from the Championship to League One.
Subsequently, the 20-year-old once again returned to the Championship in this summer’s transfer window, joining Swansea on a season-long loan.
Swansea City – 2023/24 Signings
Player Name
Signed From
Loan/Permanent
Jerry Yates
Blackpool
Permanent
Josh Tymon
Stoke City
Permanent
Mykola Kukharevych
Troyes
Permanent
Nathan Tjoe-A-On
Excelsior
Permanent
Kristian Pedersen
FC Koln
Permanent
Josh Ginnelly
Hearts
Permanent
Nathan Broome
AFC Wimbledon
Permanent
Josh Key
Exeter City
Permanent
Charlie Patino
Arsenal
Loan
Bashir Humphreys
Chelsea
Loan
Jamal Lowe
AFC Bournemouth
Loan
Harrison Ashby
Newcastle United
Loan
Carl Rushworth
Brighton
Loan
Since making that move to Wales, Patino has impressed for Michael Duff’s side, scoring once and providing four assists in 11 league appearances since the start of the campaign.
Now it seems that on the back of that impressive form, the midfielder could soon be set for another chance to impress with Arsenal, judging by these latest comments from Arteta.
What has Arteta said about Patino’s future at Arsenal?
With Arteta seemingly keen to give first-team opportunities to those already at the club, it appears he still feels Patino could still have a part to play for the Gunners at senior level in the future.
When asked about the possibility of the midfielder forcing his way back into Arsenal’s first-team in the future, the Gunners’ boss was quoted by The Metro as saying: “There is always a pathway.
“When make decisions on those kind of players it is always to keep an eye on them and see if we can evolve the squad in a way. The first thing we do is look at what we have internally.”
As things stand, there are around two years remaining on Patino’s contract with Arsenal, securing his future at The Emirates Stadium until the end of the 2024/25 season.
Where are Swansea City in the Championship?
Patino’s form so far has helped Swansea to a reasonably solid start to the current Championship campaign.
The Swans have taken 18 points from their 14 league games so far, meaning they are five adrift of the play-offs, and nine clear of the relegation zone.
They are next in action on Saturday afternoon, when they host Sunderland at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Could Patino still have a future at Arsenal?
You do get the feeling there could soon be another chance for Patino to show what he can do for Arsenal.
Thomas Partey, Mohammed Elneny and Jorginho are all now into their 30s, meaning they are approaching the latter stages of their career, and the last two of those of also in the final year of their contracts with the Gunners.
As a result, it appears as though they could soon need some more depth in that central midfield role, something that Patino can of course provide for them.
Consequently, if he can continue to impress for Swansea over the rest of the campaign, that may be enough for Patino to get the chance to fill one of those voids in the Arsenal side, a move that could save the Gunners some considerable money in the transfer market.