Charlie Patino is highly rated by everyone at Arsenal, and if his performances for Blackpool are anything to go by – he has massive potential to guard on that midfield at the N5 for years to come.
The best way to judge a youngster is relying on what his opponents and peers think, and Charlie Patino has quite some admirers. Fulham FC starlet Georgios Okkas, in an interview speaking with London World, tagged the Arsenal boy as one of the best players he has faced.
Okkas said: “I’d say Xavi Simons from PSV. We played against them [Netherlands] at international level with Cyprus.
“Omari Hutchinson is good, plus Charlie Patino whose quality is out of this world. Technically, wow.”
Patino has been a mainstay in Blackpool’s midfield throughout his loan season in the Championship with the club. He contributed “quality and composure” in a recent 6-1 victory over QPR.
Mick McCarthy has praised Patino by saying that he has had to play him more than he had originally intended. For the time being, Patino’s future is secure because Arsenal recently exercised an option to extend his contract. While Okkas’s high praise comes as no surprise considering Patino’s talent, Arsenal is sure to want to retain him for a long time.
Tom Canton of Football.London has speculated that Patino is the most promising young player to be called up to the first team for the upcoming season. His high potential means he has already seen out the Championship, and compile that with the fact that Arsenal are looking for a new central midfielder.
Declan Rice and Romeo Lavia are among the potential candidates Arsenal are looking to bring in. Patino could be the player to promote to the main squad if he needed to prioritise resource allocation. Although he has demonstrated defensive strength at Blackpool, he would be a good fit in the team if he played in Granit Xhaka’s position.
Patino is one of the toughest opponents Okkas has faced at Arsenal, and he won’t be the last person to say that. The England U-20 international may spend another season on loan instead of making an immediate impact with Arsenal. It remains to be seen whether that will be at a Premier League club or elsewhere.
