The new club goal scoring record was set by Chido Obi-Martin, a striker for Arsenal U18. The young Gunner’s amazing performance in a 9-0 victory over Norwich City allowed him to add another goal to his already impressive goal total.
obi-Marti, 16, won a lot of praise in November when he led Arsenal U16s to an incredible 14-3 victory over Liverpool, 15, by scoring ten goals in one game. Since then, the Denmark U17 international has committed to playing regularly for the U18 team and has already had multiple training sessions with the senior group.
Prior to the match on Saturday versus Norwich, Obi-Martin had scored an impressive 21 goals for Arsenal U18s in just 15 league outings. The academy prospect maintained his incredible scoring run against the Canaries, breaking the goal mark previously held by former Gunner Folarin Balogun in just 45 minutes.
According to Jeorge Bird, Obi-Martin scored his first goal of the match in the first minute of play on Saturday. The youthful player finished the first half with an impressive five goals after scoring a hat-trick in 17 minutes. After the half, Obi-Martin finished with a double hat-trick to give him seven goals overall for the game.
Despite being a year younger than the USA international, he scored 28 goals this season to shatter Folarin Balogun’s scoring record for Arsenal U18s (25), which had been held since the 2018–19 season, in three less games. Given that the striker is still a schoolboy and has not yet committed to a professional contract or scholarship with the Gunners, his accomplishment is all the more remarkable.
With his most recent effort, Obi-Martin has now scored in four of his past seven games, totaling 24 goals over that span. Given his current rate of progress, it seems likely that he will soon establish himself as a regular member of the U21 squad before making an attempt to break into the first team.
The attacker’s quick ascent through the ranks coincides with reports that the Gunners could make huge summertime moves for a center forward. Although Obi-Martin might not be in Mikel Arteta’s plans right away, if he keeps up his current rate of success, the 16-year-old could save the team money in next transfer windows.