It seems that Bayern Munich want to sign all the young strikers in the world. After Jonah Kusi-Asare, Gibson Nana Adu and Noah Kodjo-Evora, it seems the Bavarian giants want to add young Arsenal FC academy striker Chido Obi Martin to the list. This is according to Academy Scoop, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, who claim that Bayern are already “in advanced talks” with Obi Martin and hoping to beat fellow Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund to the 16-year-old’s signature. Obi Martin “rejected Arsenal’s most recent scholarship offer this week” and looks set to leave the club this summer.
But why would Bayern want to sign yet another young striker? Some of the highlights of 6’2 giant Obi Martin’s fledgeling career so far include scoring 10 goals against Liverpool’s U-16s at 15, scoring 7 goals against Norwich’s U-18s to break Arsenal’s record for goals scored in an U-18 game and scoring 32 goals in 18 games after being promoted to the U-18s midseason. That is right, 32 goals in 18 games. How much more can a player convince?
Arsenal have been negotiating for a contract renewal for the Danish talent for a while now, but Academy Scoop reports that they will be “unwilling to match Bayern’s financial offering.” Could this mean that the signing of Obi Martin is at hand?
BFW Analysis
Though the rumor is exciting, it seems rather unlikely Bayern Munich will beat Arsenal out for Obi Martin. Players as young as Obi Matin usually prefer to stay in their home country until at least the age of 18 and it is not as if Bayern offers a significant amount more than Arsenal does for the youngster’s development. If I had to guess, this rumor stems from Obi Martin’s agent trying to wring more money out of the Londoners and little more. But I would love to be wrong. On the off chance Bayern does sign him, this would be a special signing indeed.
Looking for some thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s pursuit of João Palhinha, how he might fit in the squad, and what the roster fallout might look like? Then check out our latest Bavarian Podcast Works Show, where we also hit on why Sky Sport’s report on six big player sales might not be so far offbase and why the German national team did not give fans a ton of confidence after the friendlies against Ukraine and Greece. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: