How is ex-Arsenal prodigy Charlie Patino getting on at Swansea City? | OneFootball

Swansea City completed the signing of Arsenal's Charlie Patino on a season-long loan this summer, with the midfielder embarking upon his second season at Championship level in two seasons.

The 19-year-old has been a part of the Gunners youth set up from a young age and has been regarded as one of their top academy talents in recent years.

However, he has obviously struggled to get near the first-team given the quality ahead of him in the pecking order. So, Patino had to go out on loan for game time, and he enjoyed a productive loan spell with Blackpool in the second tier last season.

Whilst it ended in disappointment for Blackpool as they were relegated to League One, Patino was one of few to emerge with credit, as he impressed with his technical ability in possession and his press resistance on the ball.

He made 37 appearances for the Seasiders, scoring three times and registering a further four assists. The England U-21 international has so far played only twice for Arsenal, but scored in the EFL Cup quarter-final win over Sunderland.

A ball-playing midfielder, Patino has stated that former Arsenal players Santi Cazorla and Cesc Fabregas are influences on his style of play.

From five games in all competitions - all of which have come in the Championship - he has registered three assists. That places him first in the assist charts with Morgan Whittaker and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

He has created nine chances and completed 83% of his 197 passes in total so far, per BBC Sport. However, he is also performing well in other areas, according to FBref.

He completes 1.93 interceptions per 9and 1.69 blocks, which are in the 94th and 90th percentiles respectively when compared to Men's Next 14 Competitions over the last 365 days with both Swansea and Blackpool

That ranking compared to leagues such as American Major League Soccer, Belgian Pro League, Brazilian Série A, Dutch Eredivisie English Championship, French Ligue 2, German 2.Bundesliga, Italian Serie B, and more.

Patino has been exemplary in evidencing those ball-playing qualities in spite of Swansea's struggles in the league, but is also growing as a ball-winner as well.

However, the Swans are currently inside the bottom three, with just three draws and no wins in their seven league games so far. Patino has been a part in most games, having come off the bench to claim an assist in his first game against West Brom.

He then started the next four games in the league against Coventry City, Preston North End, Bristol City, and Cardiff City; but was substituted in the second-half in all of them. He was eventually dropped and an unused substitute in the recent draw to Queens Park Rangers.

Despite that, in terms of incomings Michael Duff looks to have made some shrewd additions, and Patino looks like an excellent bit of business as well, to add more quality to that midfield alongside Matt Grimes, giving the Swans real ball progression and ability to dominate games from the base of midfield.

Duff believes that the new signing will add balance and fluidity to the Swansea midfield, he said: "He needs to learn about us, and we need to learn about him, but his pedigree speaks for itself with the football club that he’s at.

"He’s a good footballer who gives us balance. He’s left-footed and can play in a couple of positions. He can play deep or a bit higher up, so that gives us that fluidity which we want and he can handle a football which is what we want."

However, in his first few games, Duff explained that there's more for Patino to learn, he added: "He’s 19-years-old so he’s got a lot to learn.

"He’s had one season of football, so if you’re coming in and asking him to dominate Championship games against players that have played 300 or 400 games, it’s tough."

However, Stuart James, a senior football writer for The Athletic, believes that Swansea's midfield is not good enough at present, he added: "I’ve accepted we’re in a relegation battle from now on in. Contrary to what some people believe, I don’t think there’s much in that squad (midfield and attack in particular) to pull clear with any comfort."