Arsenal youngster recently listed among the world’s best now looks set to leave

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Arsenal have done well in recent years with regards to bringing top talent from the Hale End academy into the Gunners first-team fold.

While Bukayo Saka is the stand-out name to come through the Arsenal youth setup and become a star, he’s not the only one.

The likes of Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe have also risen through the Hale End ranks and become first-teamers at N5.

However, one Arsenal talent who has been tipped for stardom now looks likely to leave the Emirates Stadium in the summer.

The player in question is Charlie Patino, who is currently on loan at Swansea City in the Championship.

Italian scout Michele Fratini claimed earlier this season that the Arsenal gem is “among the best 50 youngsters in the world”.

Indeed, Patino was being linked with Juventus in the January transfer window, which shows what a top talent he is.

However, according to Charles Watts, the likelihood is that the 20-year-old will now leave at the end of the season, which he believes is a “shame”.

What has Charles Watts said about Arsenal prodigy Charlie Patino?

Watts wrote on CaughtOffside: “I think Charlie Patino will leave for good this summer.

“It was very close to happening last summer. That was the plan at the start of the window, but as the window went on it was decided that he would be sent out on loan again.

“Talks are planned for the end of the season, but I would be very surprised if Patino is still an Arsenal player when the summer window closes this time around.

“He will still have one year left on his deal and as far as I’m aware, a new one won’t be signed. So it just feels inevitable that he will leave on a permanent basis.”

Watts feels the Arsenal first-team coaches should’ve managed him a bit better, noting how they didn’t take him on their pre-season tour in 2022.

“It will be a shame because he’s a big talent and maybe he could have been managed a bit better,” added Watts.

“There did feel like there was an opportunity to give him a bit more game time, or at least have him around the squad a bit more to see how could have handled the step up.

“The decision not to take him on the pre-season tour in 2022 was a strange one in my eyes and I’m not sure things ever really recovered from that.

“He’s had a couple of years of Championship football since then with Blackpool and Swansea and things haven’t always gone smoothly for him on those loans, but they would have been great learning experiences for him and he’s clocked up a lot of playing time at a high standard.

“So the time feels right this summer for him to move on and really try and kickstart his career.”

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It’s certainly a shame to hear that Patino doesn’t seem likely to have a future at Arsenal, as he’s such a top talent.

Back in 2022, FourFourTwo named Patino at number 20 in their list of top 50 most exciting teenagers in world football.

Goal.com followed suit by naming the ‘outstanding‘ Arsenal gem at number 28 in their NxtGn 2022 list.

No doubt Patino will go on to have a fruitful career at the top of the game. There’s a risk the Gunners may be doing a Serge Gnabry once again.