Why Charlie Patino's sale is smart business by Arsenal

Arsenal recently sold Charlie Patino to Spanish second tier side Deportivo de La Coruna, bringing an end to his nine year spell with the club.

The Gunners are reported to have received a fee of £1m for the youngster and have included a 'significant' sell-on clause as part of the deal. The sale comes after Patino had two relatively unsuccessful loan spells in the Championship.

As Patino was one of the hottest youth prospects in English football just a couple of years ago, many fans will be disappointed with the small fee Arsenal received for him. However, the sale of Charlie Patino is in fact smart business by the club.

Why Charlie Patino's sale is smart business by Arsenal

Charlie Patino was labelled as the 'next big thing' to come out of Arsenal's academy and made his senior debut against Sunderland in December 2021, scoring a late goal. He started in an FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest a month later and was involved with the first team for the remainder of that season.

He was loaned to Blackpool for the 2022/23 campaign and was a key part of their team for most of the season. Patino scored three goals and provided four assists in 37 appearances and 2646 minutes of football as the Tangerines were relegated to League One.

Patino then spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Swansea City after initial rumours he was seeking a permanent move away from Arsenal. His time in Wales was less successful despite scoring four goals and providing four assists in 35 games. Patino played just 1398 minutes of football in all competitions with most of his appearances coming as a substitute. He started just two games between the new year and the end of the season.

The midfielder returned to Arsenal this summer with just one year remaining on his contract following two relatively unsuccessful loan spells. Given the reports of Patino's desire to leave the club last summer, it was unlikely he would sign a new deal with the Gunners so Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar faced the tough decision of seeking a buyer for a once-brilliant prospect.

Arsenal have picked up a bad reputation over the years for allowing players to leave on free transfers upon the expiration of their contracts so knew they had to sell Patino this summer. Deportivo de La Coruna took the midfielder off the Gunners' hands for a £1m fee.

While this may seem a minimal and perhaps unjustified amount, it is good business by the Gunners to receive such a fee for an unwanted and arguably unproven player who could have left for free. Arsenal made 100 times what they bought Patino for from Luton Town's academy in 2015.

Having already made a hefty profit, Arsenal have lined themselves up to earn even more from Patino by including what is reported to be a 'significant' sell-on clause as part of the deal. There is a strong likelihood the midfielder will still have a successful career after his departure from the Gunners and if his next move proves to a big one, the Gunners could be in for a nice payday.

The club recently earned £2m as a result of former academy defender Mark McGuinness' transfer from Cardiff City to Luton Town. Arsenal sold the Republic of Ireland youth international to the Bluebirds three years ago and inserted a sell-on clause as part of the agreement so it seems they have looked to make this a key part of future academy sales.

Charlie Patino's sale is certainly smart business by Arsenal as the club essentially got the best out of a bad situation. The Gunners avoided losing him on a free transfer and managed to secure a decent fee for an unwanted player who has a lack of genuine senior experience and only one year remaining on his contract.

While Patino is likely to re-establish his career in Spain, the club have learned from the past and somewhat avoided making the same mistakes they have previously with academy players by including a sell-on clause. It will ensure they still earn a profit from his next move.

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