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Charlie Patino, hailed by some as one of the best players ever to come out of the Hale End academy, will leave Arsenal the summer.
The 19 year old has spent the season on loan with Championship side Blackpool, but was unable to prevent them being relegated to League One.
Several months ago, the Gunners triggered a clause in his contract keeping him at the club for another two years, but that was primarily to protect his value rather than as a statement of intent about his future.
The problem is that Patino wants to be playing regular first-team football next season and, as highly rated as he is at the Emirates, that is something he is not going to get.
Midfield has been identified as a priority area for recruitment this summer, and with new arrivals expected, Patino’s opportunities will be squeezed even more.
And with a number of clubs both in England and abroad enquiring about his availability, Arsenal are prepared to facilitate his next move.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.