Chido Obi-Martin profiled after Arsenal wonderkid scores 10 vs Liverpool
While Arsenal 's first-team stars have been in training or away with their international teams, attention has turned to academy stars like Chido Obi-Martin.
The teenage striker stole the show as Arsenal's under-16 side claimed a 14-3 victory over Liverpool's youngsters. Obi-Martin has been predominantly playing at under-18 level this season, but is still eligible for the under-16s and dropped down for a weekend with the older age group not in action.
His quality showed, with a 10-goal haul in the young Gunners' dominant victory. It might not come as a huge surprise to first-team manager Mikel Arteta, though, with the Spaniard already getting a glimpse of the goal-getter.
Born in Denmark in 2007, Obi-Martin moved to the UK as a teenager after catching the eye during a youth career in Copenhagen. He played twice in the under-18 Premier League last season but has featured more regularly this term.
The 15-year-old bagged his first under-18s hat-trick this season against Southampton, and also played in Arsenal's UEFA Youth League double-header against Sevilla. While the seniors did the double over their Spanish opposition, the under-19 side took just one point from their meetings, with Obi-Martin playing 45 minutes in each game without netting.
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In between those two Youth League games, the youngster earned a call-up to the under-21 side and played 20 minutes in a win against Brighton. He even joined Arteta's first-team stars in training before Sevilla visited north London, though he ultimately wasn't part of the matchday squad.
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Chido Obi-Martin scored a hat-trick for Arsenal Under-18s this season (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal fans will be well aware of Arteta's willingness to put his faith in youth. Ethan Nwaneri was just 15 when he made his Premier League debut last season, and Obi-Martin doesn't turn 16 until a few days after the Gunners' next league game.
Ironically, that match comes away to Brentford, the same fixture in which Nwaneri made his bow. While there is no indication Obi-Martin will get a similar chance right away, even after his 10 goals against Liverpool, though he has already agreed a scholarship contract with the club.
At international level, Obi-Martin has an impressive seven goals in nine games for Denmark's under-17 side. Four of those came in a 6-2 victory over a young Norwegian XI, while his most recent arrived in a 2-2 draw with Austria in October.
Jesper Mikkelsen is Obi-Martin's coach at international under-17 level, and spoke to Bold about the youngster's qualities in October. "Right now he is really dominant because of his physique, but I don't think that is the only reason," he said (via Tribal Football ).
"His greatest characteristic and challenge is that he really wants to score goals. When I say it can also be a disadvantage, I mean that he can sometimes play his own game. He is very searching for chances, where he forgets that you also have to play with the others."
Obi-Martin is also eligible to play for England - who he has represented at under-16 level - or Nigeria, through his father. Speaking in October, DBU head of talent Kenneth Heiner-Moller hinted the young hotshot would not be pressured into committing his future to the Danish national side.
"We have the approach at DBU that we will not try to convince anyone that they should play for the Danish national team," Heiner-Moller said, per All Nigeria Soccer. "You have to want to. If you want to represent another country, that's fine.
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"When Chido was selected [for England under-16s], I had a talk with him and his father, where I said that 'try and listen here, of course you have to try . You've lived in England for so long that I won't talk you into anything. Let's talk on the other side after you've left'.
"We will not take Chido out if he wants to play for England. But if he wants to play for Denmark, it would probably be a shame not to select him."
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