Chido Obi | 2024/25 Performances

[Red00012]

Iso -- I think you are 100% correct and ought to go to the Spanish league or the Italian and learn to deal with proper skilled defending. He certainly needs to add more nuance/dimension to his game. But if we ship-out Rasmus, we maybe a man down up front and Ruben may just want to keep him around.

We are not loaning a 17 year old to sit on the bench in a different country and not develop for a year.

 

[Ted Lasso]

As unimpressive as could be. Hope to see a bit more of him in the League Cup and FA Cup if he doesn't go on loan but not expecting much else unless out of desperate squad needs

 

[Isotope]

He isnt. But as Sir Alex said you need to give kids a chance because sometimes they surprise you. That suggests he played kids when he didnt think they were ready either, else it wouldnt be a surprise. The ball just didnt fall for him when he had the chance to play last season - if he had grabbed his first goal I'm sure it'd have given him a boost and spurred him on. He at least got his goal in post season.

I think he'll go on loan when hes 18 or a bit older and that will be valuable experience. The potential is there and he could grab us a goal if he plays next season but longterm he'll probably be a better player if hes a first team starter for a much smaller club first and has the usual development time and expectations of a 17 year old striker

What I do see in his u20 games highlights is he can spot a teammate. So I think his all round game is improving

The likes of Macheda was a sub, but he'd be 4th/5th choice of striker. Or Greenwood (a much better striker) as subs on the wing. The way sgolwilder talk, it seemed like he's proposing Obi as a 2nd in order, but i could be wrong.

Anyway, yeah. There shouldn't be a rush to force him. It would be nice to have him playing with other professional team, even in 2nd or 3rd rate League and getting game time and experience.

 

[moodyred]

I hear all these about 17 years old being too young for even U21 and then you look at Yamal. How did Yamal play first team and for country at such an age? Is age really an issue if you got it in you or is it the opportunity to play and grow?

 

[Maagge]

How come he went to the Denmark youth team and not Denmark u21 for the euros?

There's a couple of attackers ahead of him in the U21s squad. Conrad Harder who's featured quite a bit for Sporting this season, Mathias Kvistgaarden who scored the second most goals in the Danish Superligaen this season and who's probably due a move to a bigger league and William Osula who's played Premier League football for both Newcastle and Sheffield United and who's four years older than Obi.

 

[SecondFig]

I hear all these about 17 years old being too young for even U21 and then you look at Yamal. How did Yamal play first team and for country at such an age? Is age really an issue if you got it in you or is it the opportunity to play and grow?

99.99% of 17 year old footballers are not the next Lamine Yamal

 

[sglowrider]

There's a couple of attackers ahead of him in the U21s squad. Conrad Harder who's featured quite a bit for Sporting this season, Mathias Kvistgaarden who scored the second most goals in the Danish Superligaen this season and who's probably due a move to a bigger league and William Osula who's played Premier League football for both Newcastle and Sheffield United and who's four years older than Obi.

What a perfect porn star name!!

 

[sglowrider]

99.99% of 17 year old footballers are not the next Lamine Yamal

Precisely. I dont know why people always seem to use best ever stars -- like Messi or Ronaldo, Maradona etc as yardsticks.

Makes no sense.

 

[red_de_pologne]

hope the hype/expectations don't affect him, he should be doing his thing in U18 and U21 for the next couple years without being bothered, bar occasional training with first team

 

[Drainy]

99.99% of 17 year old footballers are not the next Lamine Yamal

Its rarer than that for a 17yo to be even good as a squad option

 

[Revival2024]

hope the hype/expectations don't affect him, he should be doing his thing in U18 and U21 for the next couple years without being bothered, bar occasional training with first team

If the pressure cuts him down then he is simply not good enough for Manchester United. I'm not sure why people panic about pressure. That's how top players grow and are tested. Wrapping them up like turkey isn't good enough.

 

[trevor newnham]

I can see him get playing time on the pre-season tour,looking forward to it. The fact that he has already played for the senior side suggests that he could break through

 

[red_de_pologne]

If the pressure cuts him down then he is simply not good enough for Manchester United. I'm not sure why people panic about pressure. That's how top players grow and are tested. Wrapping them up like turkey isn't good enough.

I'm sorry but that's a moronic statement. Handling pressure of a club like United at 17 has literally nothing to do with being good enough long term. Like, absolutely nothing.

 

[steeeb]

And in fact too much pressure this young can kill a career. Amorim is aware of this.

 

[SecondFig]

Its rarer than that for a 17yo to be even good as a squad option

Exactly - for every Rooney or Yamal there's a million James Wilsons or Will Keanes - and they were both really good youth players who just never made that step-up (in Keane's case injury fecked him but...). And even Ronaldo and Messi weren't tearing it up at 17 - yes the ability was obvious but it still took them time to establish themselves and dominate in the way they did. And they're arguably two of the best footballers ever. But based on that, we should just throw Chido Obi or Kone into the first team because "they can't be any worse, lol". Even ignoring the obvious, they can very much be worse - you can completely destroy their careers by throwing them into a shit team with massive pressure. Believe it or not, the coaches managing all these players and teams know what they're doing, and if they think a player's not ready, they're probably not.

 

[Ekeke]

I hear all these about 17 years old being too young for even U21 and then you look at Yamal. How did Yamal play first team and for country at such an age? Is age really an issue if you got it in you or is it the opportunity to play and grow?

Yamal isnt being asked to play up front on his own

I dont think hes too young for the u21s though as hes physically ahead of his age

 

[Daydreamer]

Saliba got homegrown status because he was registered for Arsenal’s premier league squad list despite being sent on loan.

Will we do the same for Obi when all we need to do is send him out on loan to a lower level this year for him to qualify. Realistically speaking, I don’t think he’ll benefit much from going on loan to sit on the bench overseas. He won’t even start for most championship sides, he’s still very raw.

No, that's not how it works. I know because Arsenal (embarrassingly) didn't register him in our 21/22 squad...

"It looked like he was going to go out on loan, so we didn't register him, however, he ended up staying after we'd already submitted the squad."
Mikel Arteta

Chido will be classed as homegrown no matter how many loans he goes on.

 

[Daydreamer]

If the pressure cuts him down then he is simply not good enough for Manchester United. I'm not sure why people panic about pressure. That's how top players grow and are tested. Wrapping them up like turkey isn't good enough.

This is a wild take. He's literally still a child.

 

[Drainy]

How many 17 year old compare to Yamal in the history of football?

I'll be generous and say 5.

Using him as a measure of players and a stick to beat them with is ridiculous.

 

[Smores]

How many 17 year old compare to Yamal in the history of football?

I'll be generous and say 5.

Using him as a measure of players and a stick to beat them with is ridiculous.

Yeah probably not even 5, but to extend that how many of those 5 excelled at 17 in a struggling team?

We shouldn't expect any kind of decent form from most strikers until they're 20. Look at Kane he had to go out to Norwich on loan at 19.

Unless he's an extreme talent he should spend the next season developing and then go out on loan for the 26 season.

 

[elmo]

No, that's not how it works. I know because Arsenal (embarrassingly) didn't register him in our 21/22 squad...



Chido will be classed as homegrown no matter how many loans he goes on.

They registered him in the January windo

https://www.premierleague.com/news/2470630

442 mentioned this loophole and Spurs did something similar recently.

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/william-saliba-arsenal-saint-etienne-premier-league-squad

https://www.football.london/tottenh...-ange-postecoglou-saliba-arsenal-27716169.amp

 

[Teja]

Why are we talking about sending off a 17 year old away on loan? He’s still a kid for FFS, it would be better for him to stay at the club and family.

I don't know why we made a U turn. I got yelled off this thread because I said Hojlund was better than this guy and now I don't know what changed but we're saying he's not going to make it? I've been watching his all touches compilations for Denmark U20s and they've been class.

 

[Daydreamer]

They registered him in the January windo

https://www.premierleague.com/news/2470630

442 mentioned this loophole and Spurs did something similar recently.

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/william-saliba-arsenal-saint-etienne-premier-league-squad

https://www.football.london/tottenh...-ange-postecoglou-saliba-arsenal-27716169.amp

That’s what I’m saying. Clubs do it all the time. As you can have an unlimited number of U21 players, you can “register” any number of them. It’s not a loophole, that’s the entire point of the regulations. The PL knows that the level is too high for most young players to make the step up, so have made it so that clubs are penalised for arranging beneficial loans for their young players - even ones abroad.

 

[Revival2024]

This is a wild take. He's literally still a child.

Not a child. He is 17. A teenager. Secondly, top players accelerate to the top. If you are good enough, you are old enough.

 

[Powderfinger]

He's really raw and his dominance at U18 level was substantially on the back of being physically just bigger and faster than the competition.

Especially for midfielders and attackers, the teenage players that can move really quickly into first team football tend to be players that are really gifted on a technical level - think about Mainoo, Foden, Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly, or in previous eras Rooney, Fabregas, etc. You have to be physically ready as well but having that extremely high level technique is what allows you to adjust to a game that becomes so much faster and when you have so little time on the ball. Obi isn't that kind of player, he's likely to need a much more gradual learning process and integration into men's football.

 

[Ekeke]

Haaland was playing for Molde at his age and ended the season with 4 goals in 20 games, having played in the Norwegian 4th tier before that. I highly doubt he'll be as good, but thats another physical forward that at 17 years old wouldnt be playing for us. Lukaku I remember was playing for Anderlecht in Europe, again much easier to get into that team. Sesko was playing in the austrian 2nd division at 16 and the next season scored 5 goals in 24 games in the austrian top league.

I think Obi's level and progress is fine. He may not end up as good as any of them but we've seen these physical strikers not doing much more than Obi is at 17. Again I think they all benefitted from playing for a smaller team and that might be the route we take when hes a bit older.

 

[Daydreamer]

Not a child. He is 17. A teenager.

I'm aware that he's a teenager.

I'm also aware that teenagers can be children. In fact, most teenagers are. I'm really, really hoping that you're aware of that.

Secondly, top players accelerate to the top.

Actually, top players can develop at wildly different rates.

If you are good enough, you are old enough.

Agreed. That applies to the likes of Yamal, Messi, Rooney, Cesc. They're the exception because they're so rare. Most players aren't ready for the top-level while their still being set homework.

 

[lex talionis]

I'm in the camp that argues that the boy needs to start for the U23 team but be available to the first team on an as-needed basis. He's exceptional talent, but he's just not ready for regular action in the prem.

 

[Hoof the ball]

It's true that you cannot compare any young player to Yamal, it also cannot be ignored that Yamal gets frequent games to accelerate his growth, and so the environment circumstances aren't equal. Regardless of how talented Yamal is, he is the beneficiary of getting a lot of minutes in high-pressured games, consistently, and in turn it accelerates his maturity and development. That isn't to say that Chido would improve in the same manner with equal minutes played, but it is a point that in order to improve you need quality minutes against quality opposition, and you need lots of them.

I maintain that playing kids in dead rubber games, or giving them minutes at the end when the game is already won does nothing for challenging them. Ambitious, driven and talented athletes need some degree of environmental pressure and challenge to develop quicker. You cannot hope to roll them out in pressure-less environments over a year or two and see that kind of rapid development. You get better by playing against the best, and against them at their best.

 

[Gandalf]

It's true that you cannot compare any young player to Yamal, it also cannot be ignored that Yamal gets frequent games to accelerate his growth, and so the environment circumstances aren't equal. Regardless of how talented Yamal is, he is the beneficiary of getting a lot of minutes in high-pressured games, consistently, and in turn it accelerates his maturity and development. That isn't to say that Chido would improve in the same manner with equal minutes played, but it is a point that in order to improve you need quality minutes against quality opposition, and you need lots of them.

I maintain that playing kids in dead rubber games, or giving them minutes at the end when the game is already won does nothing for challenging them. Ambitious, driven and talented athletes need some degree of environmental pressure and challenge to develop quicker. You cannot hope to roll them out in pressure-less environments over a year or two and see that kind of rapid development. You get better by playing against the best, and against them at their best.

The only issue with that is that we play with a single striker and so you would be asking a 17 year old to assume the responsibility for leading the line for Manchester United from the start in PL games. We tried that with a 20 year old and whatever you might think of Hojlund there is no denying that the last two years have to some degree broken him to the point where he has a clear case of the yips in front of goal now and is paralyzed with indecision as he is so desperate not to make another mistake. It would be staggeringly bad player development to pitch Chido into starting games at this point, he is clearly not yet ready for that and it won't fast track his development it will stunt it as his confidence is battered along with his body.

 

[Schmeichels pinky]

If the pressure cuts him down then he is simply not good enough for Manchester United. I'm not sure why people panic about pressure. That's how top players grow and are tested. Wrapping them up like turkey isn't good enough.

Uhm, people are different you know. Some grows with pressure, but most 17 yo need time and space to mature and become confident and comfortable with themselves.

 

[Isotope]

Haaland was playing for Molde at his age and ended the season with 4 goals in 20 games, having played in the Norwegian 4th tier before that. I highly doubt he'll be as good, but thats another physical forward that at 17 years old wouldnt be playing for us. Lukaku I remember was playing for Anderlecht in Europe, again much easier to get into that team. Sesko was playing in the austrian 2nd division at 16 and the next season scored 5 goals in 24 games in the austrian top league.

I think Obi's level and progress is fine. He may not end up as good as any of them but we've seen these physical strikers not doing much more than Obi is at 17. Again I think they all benefitted from playing for a smaller team and that might be the route we take when hes a bit older.

Yeah. Lots of kids even younger than Obi, leave their cozy home to play in other places, to advance their football career. I left my home at 16 to study somewhere far away from home. Not like me and many others, Obi could probably afford to go back home every week if he wants to.

It's just a matter of choosing Club that he could benefit from, should be the biggest concern.

 

[Trequarista10]

If the pressure cuts him down then he is simply not good enough for Manchester United. I'm not sure why people panic about pressure. That's how top players grow and are tested. Wrapping them up like turkey isn't good enough.

Not a child. He is 17. A teenager. Secondly, top players accelerate to the top. If you are good enough, you are old enough.

Mate, it is an awful take, don't double down on it ffs. Spare yourself the eembarrassment.

 

[Escobar]

I was for sure a child at 17. Thank god not under any spotlight.
Give it a rest guys and met him develop without pressure. He has talent for sure

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

I hear all these about 17 years old being too young for even U21 and then you look at Yamal. How did Yamal play first team and for country at such an age? Is age really an issue if you got it in you or is it the opportunity to play and grow?

Let’s compare all 17 year olds to Yamal. Utterly ridiculous.

 

[Revival2024]

Mate, it is an awful take, don't double down on it ffs. Spare yourself the eembarrassment.

Don't call me your mate. It is a football forum. I'm not here to please anyone. You don't like the opinion. Fair enough. Now, bounce along

 

[Revival2024]

Uhm, people are different you know. Some grows with pressure, but most 17 yo need time and space to mature and become confident and comfortable with themselves.

Again, i didn't say Obi doesn't require more polishing. Of course he does. I'm simply pointing out that his age isn't an excuse for not playing him. If he is good enough, he will make it. If he isn't, then he will be moved on. That has nothing to do with his age.

 

[Revival2024]

I was for sure a child at 17. Thank god not under any spotlight.
Give it a rest guys and met him develop without pressure. He has talent for sure

Good for you. You had a cosy upbringing in a somerset English cottage. Reality doesn't quite match. Most humans have to get on with life, even at that age. Try stepping out of your bubble.

Not sure why people are getting hysterical. If Obi is at Manchester united or Real Madrid (where they actually maintain standards for winning) and others, he will be under immense pressure regardless of his age. That's the risk reward reality of a big club and that should not change. Pressure is not a terrible thing. It separates the best players from the mean.

Now, that doesn't mean Manchester United should demand the immediate finished good from Obi. He has more work to do but there are foundational standards which should be expected. He has obviously done well enough to get through academy level. He is now considered first team player and he should be expected to keep making progress regardless of his age. At this point, he should be brought in gradually and he needs to show progress in his game.

If he isn't, however, cut out for Manchester United, then the club should not hesitate to move him on. Lots of academy players have come into big teams, some stayed and others were considered not good enough and subsequently excommunicated. A lack of ruthlessness is one of the reasons why Manchester United has languished in a mess, giving players endless chances. The club isn't a charity or a creche. It needs to get back to the top level swiftly and needs to start winning.

 

[Trequarista10]

Don't call me your mate. It is a football forum. I'm not here to please anyone. You don't like the opinion. Fair enough. Now, bounce along

Oooh, you're hard mate.

 

[Schmeichels pinky]

Again, i didn't say Obi doesn't require more polishing. Of course he does. I'm simply pointing out that his age isn't an excuse for not playing him. If he is good enough, he will make it. If he isn't, then he will be moved on. That has nothing to do with his age.

You said:

If the pressure cuts him down then he is simply not good enough for Manchester United. I'm not sure why people panic about pressure. That's how top players grow and are tested. Wrapping them up like turkey isn't good enough.

Here you’re not talking about whether a player is or isn’t good enough, but whether he can handle the pressure. There have been many Yamal level talents in the past who broke because they were exposed to massive pressure too early. It’s about personality and maturity, the latter very much correlated with age.