Manchester United look set to take the number of signings they have made this summer to three as Chido Obi-Martin is set to join the club.
While he is just 16, he has the potential to be the most impactful signing out of the three if his goal record at youth level is any indication.
The project and pathway convinced Obi-Martin to snub offers from the rest of Europe to sign for United and the fans are delighted.
As Fabrizio Romano gave his famed “Here we go” to the move, United fans on social media erupted with one major message.
Man Utd fans react to Chido Obi-Martin news
Ever since Obi-Martin announced his departure from Arsenal, the murmurs of him joining United refused to go away.
However, with so much interest in his services from the rest of Europe, it was never a foregone conclusion, just ask Jude Bellingham when he left Birmingham!
So, when the “Here we go” came for the move, it was a major win for the project Ineos have undertaken at the club with Erik ten Hag at the helm.
Fans couldn’t resist this opportunity to send a message to the rest of the world, especially Arsenal fans, who were burnt by Obi-Martin’s rejection.
One said, “Ain’t no way! Arsenal can never rest with players upgrading!”, as another agreed, “Welcome to the biggest football club in the world, that Manchester United knock baby.” One put it in more direct terms, “Arsenal have always been a stepping stone, to be honest”.
Another was more considerate of their rivals but nonetheless happy to gloat, bringing back memories of another similar move, “I actually feel for Arsenal fans, this probably hurts as much as RVP [Robin van Persie].”
The Van Persie comparison was made often as another said, “The last time Man Utd signed a striker from Arsenal, we all know how it ended”.
Fans were excited to see what Ruud van Nistelrooy could do with the goalscoring prodigy as one wrote, “That’s the right choice for young Chido. Ruud will perform wonders with you soon!”.
A theme of the summer
As mentioned above, one fan wrote about the “Manchester United knock”, as in when United come calling, rest of the options don’t look as attractive anymore.
That had slowly ceased to be the case as they didn’t have a project and pathway to sell to players, ultimately leading them to spending more money to convince, never a good motivator.
Now, it feels like the Manchester United pull is back, as there has been a lot of evidence of the same this summer itself.
Joshua Zirkzee was close to AC Milan before United turned his head. Leny Yoro became the biggest, most improbable example as his heart was set at Real Madrid but United convinced him.
This is in addition to executive structure changes where the likes of Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox took extreme measures to get their moves done, while Omar Berrada left a cushy job at fierce rivals Man City to take on the task of rebuilding United.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co. will know they have a long way to go yet with United but almost immediately, the “aura” of a big club that was getting lost looks like it’s back.
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