Arsenal set to 'lose the next Phil Foden' as Mikel Arteta's squad-building plans hit rocks

Arsenal could be about to lose the ‘next Phil Foden’ to Serie A giants Juventus, as Mikel Arteta’s summer plans suffer an early blow. Charlie Patino is currently out on loan at EFL Championship side Swansea City, but the youngster is being tipped with a move away from England altogether ahead of the transfer window.

It’s been a stop-start loan spell for the 20-year-old, who has found minutes hard to come by at Swansea this season. While Patino has featured 29 times across all competitions for the Welsh side, the Arsenal loanee has only started 15 matches this term, with the majority of his time having been spent on the bench.

Regardless, Patino is a player stacked with talent, and despite a mixed loan spell at Swansea, he’s still expected to enjoy a stellar career in the game. Once dubbed ‘the next Phil Foden’ during his early days in the Arsenal academy, Patino made an immediate impact when promoted to the senior side, scoring on his debut as a substitute during an EFL Cup game against Sunderland.

However, Patino failed to kick on from that moment and has since been sent out on loan twice, firstly to Blackpool last season, before joining Swansea at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign. Seemingly not fancied by Gunners boss Arteta, the ‘next Phil Foden’ could be handed an opportunity to resurrect his career at Juventus, with the Turin-based outfit believed to be keeping tabs on Patino’s situation at Arsenal ahead of a surprise summer move.

Scout and intermediary Michele Fratini told Italian television: “I have noticed that Charlie Patino has gone a little down morally lately. He has not raised his level. I wonder if he was already thinking of going to Juventus in January and if he is ready to go in June. [Carlos] Alcaraz is a good player but he is a joker.

“He can stay in front of the defence, play as a midfielder and even as a trequartista in the attacking phase. However, I think Patino is the profile Juventus are waiting for.”

It comes after talk that Juventus had been interested in Patino during the January transfer window, even though the Watford-born ace is on loan at Swansea. Of course, a move to Italy didn’t materialise at the time, with Juventus instead signing Southampton man Alcaraz on loan until the end of the season, but that doesn’t mean Patino – who has less than 18 months left on his Arsenal contract – won’t join the Old Lady when the summer window opens later this year.