Charlie Patino, Arsenal’s midfield prospect on loan at Swansea, is targeting a place in Mikel Arteta’s starting lineup next season, and he believes he can do it like William Saliba.
Many people look up to William Saliba. The manner in which he has solidified our defense is astounding. The Frenchman has been a revelation since joining our team following a successful loan spell at Marseille. Saliba didn’t get the chance to break into the Arsenal team after joining in 2019; he had to go on loan to Saint-Etienne (2019-20), Nice (in 2021), and then Marseille (2021-22), where he was so impressive that Arteta felt he was ready to play a part in his project. To cut the long story short, Saliba has established himself as a cog in Arteta’s project, and many Gunners can copy his path to being a first teamer.
Patino said of his ambitions to be an Arsenal first teamer, as per the Mail, “Saliba is a different player to me. He’s a centre-back, big, powerful, so for me, it’s inspiring to see someone from Arsenal being able to go on loan, make a name for himself, and come back and show his qualities at Arsenal because it is a massive club.
“Everyone’s journey is different. Bukayo [Saka] went straight from academy to first team, Eddie went on a few loans, Emile [Smith Rowe] went on a few loans, so everyone’s journey is different.
“But ultimately, it’s about getting to where you want to get to, and that’s the same for me. I want to play in the first team at Arsenal, and being here (Swansea) is a massive pathway to help me do that.”
Patino has always been hailed as an Arsenal star of the future but still needs to grow while on loan at Swansea in order to break into the Arsenal lineup. He is only 19 and has all he needs to develop into the best midfielder he aspires to be. His desire to be a part of Arteta’s project may be realized, as there may be openings to fill with players such as Jorginho, Mohammed Elneny, and Thomas Partey expected to leave next year.
He’s established himself as Swansea’s go-to midfielder in the Championship, starting eight of the nine games he’s appeared in. He has a rating of 7.14 on Sofascore. He has one goal and three assists on his record. If he can continue to play well this season, he will be able to persuade Arteta that he, like Saliba, is ready to be integrated into the Arsenal team, and I’m sure Mikel Arteta will be keen to see him in action in next summers preseason games so he can assess his progress.
He certainly acts like he is keen to spend his career in the Gunners first team.
And hopefully he will!
Darren N
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