Th
e Gunners have seen a number of players emerge from the Hale End ranks in recent years but few have been able to really nail down a starring role.
Alex Iwobi ended up leaving whilst Joe Willock, Folarin Balogun, Chupa Akpom, Stephy Mavididi and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are all playing elsewhere.
Bukayo Saka has become an absolute superstar but Emile Smith Rowe has left the club this summer.
Smith Rowe has already been praised by Alan Shearer after impressing for Fulham and Arsenal have shown a willingness to sell homegrown prospects if the deal is right.
Charlie Patino transfer latest
Arsenal have allowed Brooke Norton-Cuffy to join Genoa and Charlie Patino is now set for his own move to Europe.
Reports last week suggested that Patino was joining Deportivo La Coruna in a £1million move.
Fabrizio Romano now claims that Patino was ‘on his way’ to Spain on Sunday to finalise his switch.
Romano adds that Arsenal have given Patino permission to fly out and complete his move to Galicia.
The fee is indeed £1million, but Arsenal are understood to have a ‘substantial’ sell-on clause included in the deal.
Patino joined Arsenal from Luton Town at the age of just 11 and has been progressing through the club’s ranks ever since.
The 20-year-old has only managed two first-team appearances though and has spent the last two seasons on loan at Blackpool and Swansea City in the Championship.
Now leaving Arsenal permanently, Patino will head to Spain, the country who want to snatch him away from England.
Patino hails from Watford but his father has a Spanish passport and even supports Deportivo having growing up in Galicia.
This is an emotional move for Patino and his family with the deal now on the verge of completion.
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Patino exit a shame for Arsenal
There has been so much excitement around Patino in recent years with Arsenal believing they had a wonderkid on their hands.
Yet after two years in the Championship, Patino is now being sold to Spain’s second tier.
Arsenal may have loved to keep Patino and send him on loan again, but the midfielder needs to settle down and play regularly – something Deportivo can offer.
The fact is that Arsenal have accelerated rapidly under Mikel Arteta and the standards around the club have risen.
If Patino isn’t ready to make an impact now, Arsenal may feel that is simply makes sense to let him go.
That is a shame as Patino appeared to have a huge future ahead of him at Arsenal, but Ray Parlour predicted Patino’s exit this summer whilst branding him a ‘super talent’.
Perhaps Patino will return to Arsenal down the line but for now, Gunners fans will just be keeping tabs on his displays in Spain as Patino looks to fulfil his potential away from North London.
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