Arsenal have been told to send wonderkid Chidozie Obi-Martin to return to Champions League regulars FC Copenhagen if he is not given a chance at the Gunners.
Arsenal have had joy in promoting academy talent in recent years, with Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, and Emile Smith Rowe more recent first-team success stories.
Now, 16-year-old Obi-Martin – who has already drawn favourable comparisons with Gunners legend Thierry Henry – could be following in their footsteps after his goalscoring exploits for Arsenal’s Under-18s in 2023/24.
Remarkably, the Denmark Under-17 international has scored 28 goals in 16 appearances for the north London outfit this season – making him top scorer in the Under-18 Premier League.
After grabbing the headlines for scoring 10 goals at Under-16 level for Arsenal in a 14-3 thrashing of Liverpool last November, the 6ft 2in striker scored seven goals for the Gunners in their 9-0 rout of Norwich City’s Under-18s last weekend.
The teenager, who joined Arsenal in 2022 and played for England’s Under-16 side that year before switching to Denmark’s Under-17s in 2023, has set his sights on breaking into Mikel Arteta’s first-team one day.
He told Danish outlet bold.DK earlier this month: “I would like to stay at Arsenal for a long time. It’s a good club, I can feel that I’m getting much better in training. There are a lot of good people and good coaches, so I’m really happy to be there.
“Maybe I will have to play permanently at Under-21 from next season. There aren’t that many strikers in the squad so it will be a good opportunity for me. Arsenal is a club that gives young talents the opportunity to play.”
The youngster added: “I have trained six times with the first team, so we have talked, but it has not been a big deal. He [Arteta] just praises me all the time and says nice things, so it’s very nice. Of course it makes me proud.”Arsenal starlet welcomed to return to old side
Now, Sune Smith-Nielsen, who is a director of development at Copenhagen, has invited the young forward to play for FCK if his opportunities at the Gunners dry up.
He also said Obi-Martin is a “huge talent”, has “fantastic” physical abilities, and he was thrilled the Denmark-born attacker was thriving at Arsenal.
Smith-Nielsen told Denmark publication Tipsbladet: “Yes, he played with us until he was 13, when the family then moved to London. I think it was the mother who got a job in London and then the father and the brothers moved with them.
“He was a huge talent. He has been a huge talent since he was six years old. He played for periods two years up, and he has always had huge potential offensively. He has a wild technique and fantastic physical abilities.
“We are very pleased that he is doing so well at Arsenal. Then he can always get into FCK’s first team when Arsenal don’t give him the chance.”
Obi-Martin is likely to have a decision on his hands in years to come. One, transfer interest may come his way. And two, the striker can represent Denmark because he was born there and his mother is Danish, he can represent England, and he can play for Nigeria due to his father. So far, he has scored 10 goals in 14 Denmark Under-17 matches.
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