Chido Obi-Martin is on the verge of joining Manchester United.
The 16-year-old, who was nowhere near ready for the Arsenal first team opted to take a step down to Manchester United in the quest of fast tracking his journey to first team football, even if it means playing at a lower level.
The deal is subject to the Premier League 5 step investigation – or five-step review process as it is also known).
This process is nothing unique. It is an investigatory review that every transfer involving an academy player between two Category One academies goes through.
Before any academy player can be registered, the transfer must go through the review, which takes around 25 days to be completed. But what is the five-step review process?
Following Southampton receiving a suspended sentence back in 2022 for contacting academy players without permission, The Athletic outlined what is involved in the process:
Step 1: The new club submits a signed registration form to the Premier League.
Step 2: The Premier League appoints an independent third party (usually a law firm) to conduct “exit interviews” with the player, parents and both clubs. However, further interviews or requests for information are also permitted.
Step 3: The two clubs involved in the agreement, including the player’s parents, are required to sign a declaration that no financial or value-in-kind inducements have been utilised as a part of the move (including contra deals).
Step 4: Through the independent third party, a report is then produced for the Premier League’s board, coming up with a recommendation regarding the club’s application to register the player.
Step 5: The Premier League’s board can either approve or reject the registration application. They also have the autonomy to take disciplinary against the club if they were found to breach their youth development rules.
So what does this all mean?
Well firstly, absolutely nothing if the review finds Manchester United did nothing wrong in their recruitment of Chido Obi Martin.
If it is found that they have breached the rules, the player will still sign for Man U but they could face sanctions.
The Athletic article continues: Everton for example, were handed a two-year academy ban in November 2018 and a fine of £500,000 ($608,000) for offering incentives to a player and his family.
In 2017, Manchester City were fined £300,000 ($365,000) and also banned from signing academy players for two years after the Premier League found evidence of contact between City staff and family members. Incidentally, in that same month, Liverpool were deemed to have breached similar rules when offering inducements to a Stoke City player and subsequently banned from recruiting in the academy for 12 months. They were also fined £100,000 ($122,000).
(4-3-3) Aaron Ramsdale; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Ødegaard (c), Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka; Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli.
Substitutes: Kieran Tierney, Emile Smith-Rowe, Rob Holding, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Leandro Trossard, Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga, (Marcus Vinicius Oliveira Alencar) Marquinhos, Matt Turner.
Scorers: Eddie Nketiah (23 mins, 89 mins), Bukayo Saka (53 mins)
Yellow Cards: Ben White, Mikel Arteta
Arsenal Possession Percentage: 58%
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn
Fourth Official: Andre Marriner
VAR Team at Stockley Park: VAR Michael Salisbury; AVAR Dan Robathan
Attendance: 60,325
For this “blue chip” match today, we remain without Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson because of knee and hamstring injuries respectively, and it is heartening to see that our new £21,000,000 (plus add-ons of course) new signing Leandro Trossard (from Brighton and Hove Albion) has been registered in time to be eligible for this game this afternoon, and therefore sits on the substitute’s bench; either way, history tells us that it could be a match to remember!
The visitors kicked off the match on this cold North London afternoon, and immediately the pace of the game was electric in this white-hot atmosphere today. Thomas Partey was unlucky not to score within two minutes, and for the opening stages of this game, our confidence was there for all to see. However, the visitors had a penalty appeal (which was turned down) when Bruno Fernandes latched on to a through ball, and got to the ball ahead of Aaron Ramsdale and went down to the floor; a dangerous moment that our defence needs to constantly address as the game advances. Gabriel Martinelli superbly cut inside Aaron Wan-Bissaka but unfortuntely blasted his curling shot wide of the goal. Gabriel and Bruno Fernandes had a minor spat which led to a bit of pushing and shoving from players of both sides; we were awarded a free kick, but the effort went nowhere. After a quarter of an hour, Aaron Wan-Bissaka lost his bearings at the back post from a superb Bukayo Saka cross and he nearly put it into his own net, when he should have let it go for a goal kick. The resulting corner was headed out by Scott McTominay, and a couple of minutes later, the visitors took the lead when Marcus Rashford shot from twenty yards that had Aaron Ramsdale beaten all the way. Soon afterwards, Ben White received the first yellow card of the day for a foul on Marcus Rashford, and we replied to the goal by applying pressure to the United defence; Gabriel Martinelli was unlucky on not hitting the target from a Bukayo Saka corner, and we equalised on the twenty-third minute when Granit Xhaka crossed a superb cross from the left wing, for Eddie Nketiah to nip in front of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to head the ball into the net! A superb, well-taken goal. The visitors counter-attacked, and Antony moved in from the right wing and played it to Scott McTominay outside the penalty area and the midfielder’s side-footed effort was comfortably pushed to safety by Aaron Ramsdale. The subseuqent corner was cleared, and the match has become an exciting end-to-end, no quarter spared game (just like the Arsenal versus Manchester United games of old!). Mikel Arteta received a yellow card for his touchline behaviour and for the next few minutes, the visitors were active in our half, passing the ball around, trying to find a chink in our armour. As the game ebbed away towards the half-time break, we played some great moves, one in particular saw Oleksandr Zinchenko being very unlucky not to score when his shot went inches by the post. In injury time, the visitors had a penalty appeal turned down by the referee, and the last action of the first half came when a Bukayo Saka shot was easily plucked out of the air by goalkeeper David de Gea.
We started the second half off in earnest, but withut Ben White, who was replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu, as the former has already been booked, and is in danger of receiving a second one. Antony was booked for a foul on Oleksandr Zinchenko, and a couple of minutes later we had a penalty appeal which was ignored by referee Anthony Taylor. A through ball created by Martin Ødegaard went towards Granit Xhaka, but Lisandro Martinez came hurtling across to make an inch-perfect sliding challenge in the six yard box; and then, out of nowhere, Bukayo Saka had the ball out wide, but Christian Eriksen backed off him, and then he shifted it to his left foot then hit a glorious low shot which just nestled into the far corner of the net, with the United goalkeeper graping for fresh air, a truly fantastic goal. The visitors came back at us, and Marcus Rashford managed to somehow get clear and hit a shot goalwards, but Aaron Ramsdale saved it with a superb, instinctive low save. Unbelievably, United equalised a couple of minutes later when Lisandro Martinez scored with a looping header into the net, despite Gabriel’s best effort to keep the ball out of the goal. Both teams sensed a chance to win this game now, and as such the intensity is ramping up. Bukayo Saka provided the danger again, rolling it to Eddie Nketiah but the striker got in a tangle eight yards out and could not finish the job, sadly. A superb Martin Ødegaard shot just inside the United penalty area ricocheted off a United defender for a corner, and although it eventually went off for a goal kick, the pressure was surely on the visitors now. With twenty minutes of the match remaining, in a carbon copy of his goal, a Bukayo Saka shot was deflected onto the foot of the post by a United defender for a corner, and although the resulting corner went nowhere, we continued our pressure on the visitors’ goal. A Takemiro Tomiyasu cross was cleared by Raphael Varane, and then a through ball from Bruno Fernandes found the feet of Marcus Rashford who was running onto it then he went down to the floor under Aaron Ramsdale’s challenge; United shouted for a penalty, but the referee Anthony Taylor (who has a good game today) waved the protests away, saying that the challenge was fair. After some exciting play in the United penalty area in which we were unlucky not to score, our new signing Leandro Trossard replaced Gabriel Martinelli with ten mimutes of the game remaining. Shortly afterwards, Eddie Nketiah swivelled and shot from such close range, which was close to David De Gea but he still had to make the save and palmed it away with his left hand. We were constantly pressurising the United goal, with their defenders panicking and kicking the ball away from the penalty area, seemingly anywhere, just to get it away. Literally, on the ninetieth minute, Oleksandr Zinchenko crossed the ball from the left wing. and Eddie Nketiah flicked it into the goal from close range for our third goal (and his second of the afternoon). There was a heartstopping couple of minutes when it was feared that the goal was offside, but VAR did their job and the goal stood! The game petered out after that during injury time, and we naturally ran out deserved winners by three goals to two.
An outstanding result from an an outstanding Arsenal team. A draw would have been disastrous, but we kept on going, and our on the ball quality, intensity and good old fashioned guts came through good for us at the end. More importantly, we remain five points clear of Manchester City, and although we meet them at the Etihad in the FA Cup on Friday evening, we can go into that game with our heads held high. Who knows what will happen next?
Remember everyone, keep the faith, get behind the team and the manager, as this season is going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners. Our next match: Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Friday, 27th December at 8.00pm (FA Cup). Be there, if you can. Victoria Concordia Crescit.
Steve
Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless (Rangemore Publications, ISBN 978-1-5272-0135-4) is now available on Amazon
With the transfer window slamming shut, Arsenal’s activity has left them with just 2 members of the squad who have been with the club since the 2012/13 season. Nacho Monreal and Damián Martinez.
This summer we have seen Carl Jenkinson and Laurent Koscileny both leave. They were the only two remaining players from the 2012/13 squad picture, with Monreal joined us in the January transfer window.
It feels like a huge squad turnover, that out of the 35 players to have pulled on an Arsenal shirt during that season, just 2 remains.
How does this compare with the rest of the top 6?
Liverpool – 1
Just Jordan Henderson remains from Liverpool’s 2012/13 squad. They have the highest turnover over all of the top 6. Not a surprise considering they finished 7th that season.
Chelsea – 1
following David Luiz joining Arsenak, just 1 member of the Chelsea squad of 2012/13 remain. Club captain César Azpilicueta.
Arsenal – 2
The aforementioned Nacho Monreal is still at the club having signed a 1 year extension a month or so ago. Damián Martinez played twice in the League Cup that year.
Manchester City – 2
David Silva and Sergio Aguero are the only 2 players left from a Manchester City team that finished the 2012/13 season behind their big rivals Manchester United
Manchester United – 4
The 2012/13 league champions have kept hold of Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Chris Smalling and David de Gea. Although many Manchester United fans will question how the 1st 3 are still at the club, and David de Gea probably wonders how he has not yet secured a move away.
Tottenham – 4
Harry Kane played just 4 minutes in the 2012/13 season. Jan Vertonghen, Hugo Lloris and Danny Rose are also still with the club.
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 