Arsenal to Take Legal Action Against Manchester United Over Chido Obi-Martin Transfer

Arsenal is reportedly preparing to take legal action against Manchester United over the transfer of their academy talent, Chido Obi-Martin.

Football journalist Christopher Michel reports that while Obi-Martin, a highly regarded young player from Arsenal’s youth academy, made the move to Manchester United, the Gunners believe the transfer was not carried out properly.

Obi-Martin, who netted 32 goals and registered three assists in 24 matches for Arsenal’s under-18 team last season, became a free agent after his contract expired, drawing interest from Manchester United.

Despite his free-agent status, The Athletic previously reported that due to the player’s young age, Manchester United was still required to pay a fee to Arsenal. Additionally, the transfer needed to be approved by the Premier League’s ratification process.

While both clubs were initially expected to finalize the transfer without legal complications, that no longer seems to be the case.

Michel shared on X: “Although Chido Obi-Martin’s contract at Arsenal has expired, I heard that Manchester United cannot simply sign him on a free transfer. It’s a very complicated situation… He is currently only training individually and hasn’t been officially presented yet. This could potentially go to court.”