Arsenal have beaten off Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester City to the signing of 11-year-old wonderkid Charlie Patino from Luton Town, reports the Daily Mail.
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Arsenal, Chelsea & Spurs chase 11-year-old wonderkid Charlie Patino
The Gunners have agreed to pay Luton £10,000 for Patino – a massive fee for such a young player. Their Stamford Bridge rivals had offered double that to the League Two side, but Patino wanted to train with the side closest to his home in St. Albans. Manchester City also had an offer turned down by Patino.
Arsenal have started to believe in recent times that they are falling behind their London rivals in picking up the best young talent from around the country. Spurs have had several home grown players come through recently such as Harry Kane and Ryan Mason, while Chelsea recently gave a first start to Ruben Loftus-Cheek from their youth system.
However, they still have a great reputation for bringing through talent from their academy under Arsene Wenger, with Jack Wilshere the latest to make it in to the first team. Could Patino do the same in a few years time?