Swansea City: Arsenal deal promised so much but failed to deliver | OneFootball

Charlie Patino looked to be a coup for Swansea City but he failed to deliver during his time with the club

The summer of 2023 looked to be an exciting time for Swansea City with a new Sporting Director, new manager and a host of new signings coming through the Swansea.com Stadium doors, but the 2023/24 campaign proved a difficult one for the Swans.

Of course, manager Michael Duff and Sporting Director Paul Watson are no longer at the club, while the majority of the club's signings that summer flattered to deceive, perhaps none more so than Charlie Patino.

Patino joined the Swans on a season-long loan from Arsenal, and after experiencing a season of Championship football with Blackpool during the 2022/23 campaign, expectations were that he'd kick on with Swansea and show why he was so highly-rated at Arsenal.

However, while there were odd glimpses of what he was capable of, particularly in the opening months of the campaign, Patino's time at Swansea won't be remembered fondly, and supporters would have hoped for more from the England U21 international.

Charlie Patino failed to deliver at Swansea City

Patino came with a reputation as one of Europe's most promising youngsters and was subject to interest from Barcelona prior to his loan move to Swansea.

The youngster's loan move to the Swansea.com Stadium seemingly came out of the blue with little speculation, always an exciting way to sign a player for supporters, and understandably the Jack Army thought they had a huge talent on their hands for the 2023/24 campaign.

Patino's time at the club started well, registering three assists in his first four games, before scoring against Sheffield Wednesday in his sixth appearance for the club.

However, that was as good as it got for the Arsenal man, and he began to struggle for starts, with brief cameos from the bench becoming commonplace from November onwards.

There were two goals in consecutive games in December against Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United, but the 9th December was to be the last time he'd register a goal or an assist in the league for the Swans.

Patino struggled for minutes after Luke Williams' arrival, making just one start, which came on the final day of the season, and when his loan spell came to an end neither the Arsenal loanee nor the Swans would have been very disappointed.

Bizarrely, Juventus were credited with an interest in the youngster during his time at Swansea, a transfer link that baffled the Jack Army given his substandard performances in the Championship.

While he showed glimpses of his obvious natural talent, Patino was clearly too lightweight for the Championship, and he was often bullied off the ball, meaning Williams was reluctant to select him in the starting team.

Patino's time at Swansea certainly didn't go to plan, and he's continued to find it tough going since leaving the club.

Charlie Patino is struggling in the Spanish second tier

Patino departed Arsenal on a permanent basis in the summer, signing a four-year deal with Spanish Segunda División side Deportivo La Coruña, a move which on paper looked a good one for the 21-year-old, who is eligible for Spain.

However, he's played just 63 minutes of league football across three games for his new club, making just one start in the Copa del Rey, and he hasn't been included in a matchday squad for Deportivo since the beginning of January.

It's fair to say that his move to Spain hasn't gone to plan in the slightest, and Swansea aren't the only ones who haven't been impressed with the former Arsenal man.

Whether Patino has a future at Deportivo past this summer remains to be seen, but the last two seasons have shown that he's not quite the player that Arsenal supporters made him out to be when it was announced he would join Swansea on loan.

At 21, there is still plenty of time for the former Swansea loanee to turn his career around, and perhaps a summer move back to the EFL at League One level could be a good way for the youngster to get some regular football under his belt.