Who is Chido Obi-Martin? Arsenal's teen SENSATION who could save them millions

Updated: 27 Apr 2024 18:01 BST
6 min read

Arsenal under-18 striker Chido Obi-Martin made headlines for his seven-goal haul against Norwich City in the U18 Premier League in April 2024.

The Gunners won the game 9-0, with Obi-Martin scoring the first seven, and a team-mate took the ball off his toe in the closing stages for the ninth goal, which could have made his record even more astonishing.

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Regardless, Obi-Martin has now scored MORE goals than any other Arsenal player at the U18 age level in a single season, beating Folarin Balogun’s record which the Monaco striker set back in 2018-19.

The difference is that Obi-Martin is only 16, and a full year younger than his American counterpart was when he set his 25-goal record, and has done it in fewer games to boot.

Obi-Martin has now scored 28 goals at U18 level this season, in only 16 games. But even those frankly astonishing numbers fail to do justice to what Obi-Martin has been doing in the last few weeks.

He has scored 24 goals in only his last seven games, including these seven against Norwich, four-goal hauls against Crystal Palace and Fulham, and five against West Ham.

He is proving to be above the level already and has even made the step up to the U19s in the UEFA Youth League and U21 level in Premier League 2.

And while his numbers at those levels are not yet a lot to write home about, it's only a matter of time before Obi-Martin finds his feet and starts rifling them in.

How good is Chido Obi-Martin?

Obi-Martin first made the headlines when he scored a hat-trick on his U18 debut against Southampton back in September as a 15-year-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.

He’s been touted for a first-team debut before the end of the season but that’s unlikely to happen now with so much riding on the Premier League title race.

And it was his performance against Liverpool at the U16 age-group level that same month that really signposted his potential and made the world sit up and take notice.

With the 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.

At 1.88 he perhaps enjoys some physical advantages over his peers but there is no denying that Obi-Martin is on track for the top.

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

No wonder there’s an international scramble for his signature. Born in the Copenhagen suburb of Glostrup to a Nigerian father and a Danish mother, Obi-Martin took his first steps in football with local Danish side KB, moving to the Arsenal academy aged 14.

He has wasted no time getting used to his new surroundings and both Denmark and England are now battling to have him represent their various age groups.

Initially a Denmark U16 international, he has also played matches for the England U16s. However, he more recently was in action for the Denmark U17s, who he helped qualify for the UEFA U17 European Championship this summer, scoring twice in the qualification phase.

What clubs are interested in Chido Obi-Martin?

There has been interest from overseas clubs who have one eye on taking advantage of complex post-Brexit regulations regarding underage players.

Obi-Martin is currently on scholarship terms and isn’t eligible for a professional contract until he turns 17 in November. And, even then, he can only sign an initial two-and-a-half-year deal.

But the regulations are different in Europe and Obi-Martin would be free to sign pro terms should interested parties succeed in turning his head.

Accordingly Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, two teams with great pedigree when it comes to promoting young talent, have been linked.

But the player himself is keen to remain at Arsenal long term and hopes to be in the mix full-time for the U21s next season.

It’s also been reported that the Gunners are intending to tie him down to a new deal as soon as they can. And those reports of a senior debut could be a sweetener on the part of Arsenal to demonstrate to the player’s family and entourage that he has a path to the first team.

He’s recently signed with agent Emeka Obasi of the Elite Projects Group, an industry titan who also looks after the interest of fellow Gunner Bukayo Saka as well as Jadon Sancho.

“I would like to stay at Arsenal for a long time," Obi-Martin told bold.DK earlier this month. "It's a good club, I can feel that I'm getting much better in training. There are a lot of good people and good coaches, so I'm really happy to be there.

“Maybe I will have to play permanently at U21 from next season. There aren't that many strikers in the squad so it will be a good opportunity for me. Arsenal is a club that gives young talents the opportunity to play.”

What position does Chido Obi-Martin play?

He’s a burgeoning striker and with the Gunners being linked to the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney, a schoolboy striker with the golden touch could be about to save them millions in the transfer market.

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