Watts was commenting on Patino’s future on his YouTube channel and took a chance to redress what happened in the summer.
The journalist said that Patino was set to leave permanently before Arsenal decided to give him another chance on loan.
And Watts now admits that Arsenal will struggle to convince the 19-year-old to sign an extension to his current deal.
Patino will enter the final year of his current Arsenal contract when he returns from Swansea next summer.
Watts thinks Patino will want to leave Arsenal after his loan
Speaking on Youtube, Watts said: “There was a very good chance he was going to go in the summer, very good chance.
“At the start of the summer he was going to go, permanently, you know that decision had been taken and people were working towards that.
“That changed as the summer wore on, and there were discussions going on between Patino’s people and Arsenal.
“It started to change a little bit and the decision was taken.
“‘Okay I tell you what, we’ll let him go out on loan again and give him a season and we’ll come back next summer and we’ll sit down and decide the best course of action at that point.’
“So Patino is only going to have a year left [on his contract] in the summer and I think it’s going to take a lot for him to be convinced to sign a new deal at Arsenal.”Fans will struggle to accept Patino’s departure
It’s still a huge surprise to a lot of Arsenal fans that the club are willing to let Patino leave, especially after a promising loan spell at Blackpool.
The youngster has looked immense for Arsenal’s academy sides and has already fared well in the Championship.
Moreover, when you are the gem of the Hale End academy you don’t leave without good reason.
Arsenal fans will want to know Mikel Arteta and the club’s reasoning for their willingness to let Patino explore something new.
Of course, the feeling could change once Patino returns to Arsenal after his loan, but Watts suggests the player will still look elsewhere.
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