Arsenal set for Charlie Patino future boost

The man in the spotlight at the moment is Charlie Patino. There is no avoiding him in the world of Arsenal as every fan, coach, former player and scout waxes lyrical about the teenager causing a stir in the academy.

Dubbed the ‘best talent ever to come through Hale End’ is high praise, and that’s just some of the rave reviews this midfield dynamo is earning as the calls for him to be fast-tracked to the first team continue to rise in decibels.

Those fires are also fueled by the words of one Jack Wilshere, who many are comparing Patino to due to his exceptional maneuverability in tight spots and mesmeric close control. The deep-lying playmaker shares many traits that Super Jack once possessed, some the man himself acknowledged.

"“I know him. I’ve seen him play and he’s a good player,” Wilshere said. “He’s obviously really young still and got a lot of developing to do but he’s definitely one who everyone at the training ground is talking about."

Arsenal set for Charlie Patino future boost as 18-year-old midfielder will sign new professional long-term contract with club

"“Yes, there are some similarities.“There are quite a few 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’.”"

Fans are desperate to see the youngster in first team action, and October 17 is a special day in the calendar as it marks his 18th birthday, which means something positive is on the horizon.

Speaking to the Latte Firm YouTube channel, football.london’s Chris Wheatley confirmed that a new contract is imminent.

"“[Fans] don’t have to worry about [Barcelona links],” he said.” He’s staying at Arsenal.”"

Only signing a professional deal after turning 17 this time last year, there is a limit on how long deals can be for young players, something that changes once they reach 18 years old. So, now, he is primed and ready to pen a shiny new one, allaying any fears of him being snapped up elsewhere. He signed his previous one four days after his birthday, so the wait won’t be long.

Will it be a while for first team action, though? Per Mertesacker spoke openly about Patino’s career path and insisted everything is going to plan so far.

"“His plan was always to stay with the Under-23s and then be exposed to the first team at some stages,” he told football.london.“That was always the plan for this season for him so there was not a loan conversation to be made yet. “We want him – which he’s doing at the moment – to dominate 23s games and be exposed to first-team friendly games and hopefully to a couple of competitive games."

"“We didn’t want to go a step ahead of where he was actually at with his progress.”"