When news broke of Chido Obi-Martin’s expected departure from Arsenal, sentiment outside the north London club was focused in one direction.
Not again. Another prolific academy talent emerges from the Hale End assembly line and into the hands of a Premier League side.
As you can see, you could assume there is a pattern following other recent departures. Obi-Martin’s situation is complex and Arsenal’s effort to secure the club’s future by bringing academy talent into the first team or making a profit through sales when necessary is taking place behind the scenes, but highly-touted midfielder Amario Cozier-Duberry and defender Reuell Walters sealed moves to Brighton and Luton Town respectively earlier this month.
Mail Sport understands Arsenal offered both players a new deal as their contracts expired and outlined their future at the club.
Cozier-Duberry and Walters listened, although they decided a move elsewhere would be better for their careers and a quicker way into the first team.
Arsenal star Chido Obi-Martin looks set to leave the club this summer
Arsenal have already lost promising youngster Amario Cozier-Duberry (pictured) to Brighton
Reuell Walters (pictured) also left Arsenal to join Luton Town this summer.
Both the club and the players parted ways amicably and both parties were satisfied. However, with Obi-Martin, the feeling at Arsenal is different.
Interest in the 16-year-old reached unusual levels for a player of that age due to his record-breaking performances at the academy.
The 1.88m tall and physically imposing striker for his youth has scored a club-record 32 goals in 18 appearances for Arsenal Under-18s. But it was his 10 goals against Liverpool Under-16s in November, aged just 15, that really grabbed the headlines and increased the hype around him.
Mail Sport revealed in the following days that the FA were exploring options for Obi-Martin to return to represent England. He has played for the youth teams of Denmark (his country of birth) and England this year.
So everyone (and in particular the Arsenal leadership) knew about Obi-Martin’s talent and wanted to keep him at the club. That is why the events described below have disappointed some figures at the club.
Mail Sport understands Arsenal had offered Obi-Martin Under-18 football, with Under-21 game time when the schedule allows, and promotion to training with the first team as the season progresses.
Although Obi-Martin’s team reportedly wanted the striker to leave the U-18 team and join the U-21s immediately, that was a problem, but the decisive factor, allegedly, was money.
His team allegedly wanted a sum of money that was far from what Arsenal were willing to pay, so the Gunners walked away despite liking the player’s ability and him personally.
Obi-Martin caught the eye on many occasions and scored 10 goals against Liverpool.
He will now leave Arsenal, but Mail Sport understands that his departure is not for financial reasons
Meanwhile, Emile Smith Rowe is another academy graduate to leave Arsenal to join Fulham.
As always, there are two sides to a story. From Obi-Martin’s point of view, Mail Sport understands that the decision to leave Arsenal was not financially motivated.
He and his team had doubts about his possible incorporation into the first team and about the project that the club had planned. A complex situation, without a doubt.
Arsenal’s respect for Obi-Martin is reflected in the fact Mail Sport understands Mikel Arteta spoke to him and the player’s team about his pathway to the first team and how he would be developed.
With Obi-Martin on his way out and a strong link to Manchester United, attention is turning to the future of Arsenal’s current academy graduates.
Club executives are privately pleased with the money their academy has made and is expected to make in the coming weeks.
Newly released Emile Smith Rowe has joined Fulham for a club-record £35m. Contemporaries Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah have also been linked with moves elsewhere.
If both leave, the sums are likely to exceed £10m and £35m respectively. A further reminder of the importance of building a solid pathway. If a player doesn’t make it to the first team, that doesn’t equate to a waste of time or money, as the financial gain can be recouped.
More broadly, though, the common perception is that Arteta is reluctant to use academy players in the first team.
This reached its peak last season in the decisive Champions League match between Arsenal and PSV Eindhoven in December, when the Gunners had already secured top spot in their group.
Ethan Nwaneri, Lino Sousa and Walters all travelled to Eindhoven and were on the bench, but none of them came on. It seemed puzzling, and it was not the first time that the opportunity to play a youngster had been missed.
However, Mail Sport understands Arteta feels a huge personal responsibility for the well-being of the academy players.
Mikel Arteta has come under fire for his use of Arsenal’s young stars
Last season, he picked a young side for the return leg against PSV Eindhoven but proceeded to name a strong starting XI and did not use his younger stars off the bench.
If a player breaks into the first team too quickly, he fears the long-term effect that this could have on him.
Arteta is also well aware that it is his fault if things go wrong, something he can do without when he is already facing the daily pressure of having to win week in, week out.
Looking ahead to this campaign, Nwaneri is likely to be the next taxi out of the gate.
Arteta likes the 17-year-old and it seems he has been in the first team for quite some time, despite his young age.
Arteta made the teenager the youngest player in Premier League history, replacing him against Brentford in September 2022 aged just 15 years and 181 days.
Since then, he has trained regularly with the first team, but has barely played any minutes with the first team. However, he did come on in Arsenal’s 6-0 thrashing of West Ham in February, making him the only academy player to have played for the first team in the league last season.
The north London club’s pre-season tour of the US so far has already provided a hint as to how Nwaneri’s first-team involvement will play out next season.
Last Wednesday, against Bournemouth, he was the last outfield player to be substituted. Arteta made seven changes after the hour mark, including Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey and Fabio Vieira, but not Nwaneri.
Those around the club believe that this could be Nwaneri’s true breakout season. He is a mature player for his age and Arteta sees potential in him.
Ethan Nwaneri (left) has excelled in pre-season and the youngest player in Premier League history could force his way into the first team this season.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (pictured) has also impressed and could get more game time.
Myles Lewis-Skelly is another academy player that fans could be hearing a lot about in the coming months.
Although he is a typical midfielder, Arteta has been moulding Lewis-Skelly behind the scenes into an inverted left-back. You could say he is a prototype of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
It was the position he started in against Bournemouth in Los Angeles.
The 17-year-old stood out both for his defensive work (making timely tackles) and for his ability to invest in midfield attacks.
If there are any further injuries in the defensive line, Lewis-Skelly will be directly in contention for a place on the first-team bench or in the starting lineup.
How Obi-Martin fares at his next club remains to be seen, but what is certain is that at Arsenal, his academy is bearing fruit in the form of pound notes and the odd gem.
