Chido Obi, a 17-year-old Danish-Nigerian forward, has swiftly ascended the ranks at Manchester United after departing Arsenal’s academy last year.
Since his move, Obi has made notable strides, including his first-team debut and impressive performances in youth competitions.
Obi’s journey began in Copenhagen, Denmark, before he moved to the UK at 13 and joined Arsenal’s academy. His tenure at Arsenal was marked by remarkable goal-scoring feats, such as netting ten goals against Liverpool’s youth team and multiple hat-tricks in youth competitions. Despite Arsenal’s efforts to retain him, Obi sought a clearer path to first-team football, leading to his transfer to Manchester United in October 2024.
At United, Obi continued to impress, scoring a hat-trick in his under-18 debut. He made his senior debut on February 16, 2025, as a late substitute in a 1–0 Premier League loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Subsequent appearances included substitute roles against Everton and Fulham in the FA Cup.
Reflecting on Obi’s departure, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed regret over losing a promising talent but acknowledged the club’s inability to alter the player’s decision.
“Obviously, when a player decides that the best pathway for him is to leave, there’s not much you can do,” said Arteta.
“Very unfortunate because we want to keep our players from the academy and to be very successful with the first team. But in that case, with Ayden (Heaven), we weren’t able to do that.
“To persuade a player to stay a player has to be willing to be with us and commit to us and I don’t know specifically, both parties will feel very different about it.
“The reality is that he has decided to move and we have moved on from that.”
Asked about Obi’s qualities, he said: ‘‘Massive goal threat, an attitude and love to be inside the box and a capacity to score in many different ways. That was him.”
