Who is Chido Obi-Martin? Arsenal's teenage sensation wanted by Man Utd

Peter Staunton

21 Jul 2024 19:51 BST
4 min read

Arsenal wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin is regarded as one of the most promising youngsters in world football, but he could be set to leave the Gunners this summer.

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FootballTransfers understands that Arsenal offered a fair deal to the teenager, but he is set to leave the club this summer and Manchester United are among the clubs interested in signing him.

But, who is Obi-Martin and how good can he become?

What position does Chido Obi-Martin play?

Obi-Martin is a centre-forward.

How good is Chido Obi-Martin?

Obi-Martin first made headlines when he scored a hat-trick on his Arsenal U18 debut against Southampton back in September 2023 at just 15 years old.

His progress was so astonishing that he was invited to train with Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad ahead of the Gunners’ Champions League fixture against Sevilla in November.

However, it was Obi-Martin's performance against Liverpool's U16 side that same month that really signposted his potential and made the world sit up and take notice.

With Arsenal's U18s without a fixture, Obi-Martin dropped down to U16 level for a game against the Reds, and he scored TEN times in a 14-3 win.

HE KEEPS ON GOING! 😱

Martin Obi gets his seventh of the game!

🟡 0-7 🔴 (64)#AFCU18 | #U18PL pic.twitter.com/tNbe9zW7nD
— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) April 27, 2024

He then notably made yet more headlines with a seven-goal haul against Norwich City in the U18 Premier League in April 2024.

During the 2023-24 campaign, Obi-Martin scored more goals than any other Arsenal player at U18 age level in a single season, beating Folarin Balogun’s record despite being a full year younger than his American counterpart.

In total, Obi-Martin notched 32 goals in just 18 league games for Arsenal's U18s in 2023-24, with 28 of those coming in the final nine games of the season.

Taller than his peers, Obi-Martin is a nightmare to defend against and his finishing is evidently top notch. As a result, he is considered a future superstar.

What clubs are interested in Chido Obi-Martin?

Obi-Martin's schoolboy terms at Arsenal have expired and he will move on before signing a scholarship deal with the Gunners.

Borussia Dortmund and Ajax have both been linked with a move, however Man Utd are the leading contenders to sign the Denmark U17 international.

Obi-Martin has visited the Red Devils' Carrington training facility and are now exploring a deal to sign the Arsenal teenager.

There have been prolific goalscorers for Arsenal U18s before but what Martin Obi is doing is unprecedented. To score four goals or more in a game on four occasions is ridiculously good.

He has 23 goals in his last nine games for the U18s.
— Jeorge Bird (@jeorgebird) April 27, 2024