As reported by James Ducker of the Telegraph, Manchester United have agree a deal to sign striker Chido Obi-Martin on a free transfer, after the player confirmed his exit from Arsenal.
Ducker goes on to add that Obi-Martin visited Carrington last week and, while a deal has not yet been officially finalised, the Red Devils are set to wrap up his signature after agreeing terms over a deal with the player.
Fabrizio Romano has added that Ruud van Nistelrooy, recently hired as an assistant manager, had a discussion with Obi-Martin which he describes as ‘crucial’ in convincing him to sign.
Meanwhile, James Goldman in the Metro reports that money was the main ‘dealbreaker’, with Arsenal offering him a £15,000 a week salary to remain in North London, a wage that’ll be doubled by moving to Manchester.
Meanwhile, there have also been concerns about pathways at Arsenal, although Daniel Harris of the Guardian is far from convinced that Obi-Martin route to first team football at Old Trafford will be significantly more straight-forward.
Who is Chido Obi-Martin?
Chido Obi-Martin was born in Copenhagen on 29 November 2007, yes I feel old too, starting his career at Kjøbenhavns Boldklub, also known more simply as KB, before joining Arsenal two summers ago as a 14 year old.
He then made headlines back in October by scoring ten times, yes 10!, as Arsenal’s under 18s beat Liverpool 14-3, netting 32 times in just 21 outings for the Gunners’ U18s last season, averaging a goal every 48 minutes.
Clearly too good for that level, Obi-Martin became the second-youngest player to feature for Arsenal’s U21s since Premier League 2 was founded in 2016, debuting at that level against Brighton at the age of 15 years and 11 months, with only Ethan Nwaneri appearing at a younger age, according to Jeorge Bird on Twitter.
He was also named in the team of the tournament at the Under-17 European Championship in Cyprus earlier this summer, scoring against both Wales in Achna and Czechia Republic in Larnaca, as Denmark reached the semi-finals, their best run at the competition for 13 years.
The striker took to Instagram on Tuesday to confirm his departure from Arsenal, writing:
“I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to everybody at Arsenal for the last four years. The experiences and growth I’ve achieved here have been truly invaluable. A special thanks to the coaches, staff and team-mates at Hale End.’
