Former Arsenal player criticizes club for obstructing his path to the first team

Former Arsenal midfielder Charlie Patino expressed his disappointment that his path to the first team, which he believed he had rightfully earned, was ultimately blocked.

Patino, 21, progressed through the Hale End academy but failed to break into the XI under Mikel Arteta, despite being tipped for a huge future at the Emirates.

The England U21 star was sold to Spanish club Deportivo La Coruña in August following season-long loans at Championship sides Swansea and Blackpool.

Patino’s sale came less than a year after Arteta insisted that the youngster had a clear route into the Arsenal XI.

‘I don’t have any regrets… I just feel sometimes I wanted to be involved more,’ Patino told The Guardian.

‘I felt I didn’t really get the communication or pathway I wanted or felt I deserved. But that’s life.

‘And [even] if that door doesn’t open, you’re bettering yourself, giving yourself a better opportunity to play at a high level. Arsenal are not the only football club in the world. There are hundreds of teams competing at the highest level.’

Patino spent a total of nine years at Arsenal, joining the club’s academy in 2015 after he was poached from Luton Town before his exit in the summer of 2024.

Speaking about Patino’s future in October 2023, before he was sold to Deportivo La Coruña, Arteta said:‘There is always a pathway.

‘When make decisions on those kind of players it is always to keep an eye on them and see if we can evolve the squad in a way. The first thing we do is look at what we have internally.’

Patino only made two first-team appearances for Arsenal, scoring on his debut in a 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Sunderland in December 2021.

Patino had hoped to follow a similar career path to William Saliba, who broke into the Arsenal XI after impressing out on loan.

‘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,’ Patino said last year.