Denmark coach expects 29-goal Arsenal striker Obi-Martin to be a marked man at U17 EURO 

Denmark U17 national team coach Jesper Mikkelsen reckons that Arsenal teenage striker Chido Obi-Martin will be a marked man at the 2024 European U17 Championship.

The Danish Football Union announced the country's roster for the tournament in Cyprus on Monday, with the Gunners youth teamer of Nigerian descent part of the 20-player group. 

Obi-Martin has seen his stock rise this season due to a series of impressive goalscoring displays in the U18 Premier League, and teams are going to pay closer attention to him, just as was the case during last weekend's U18 Premier League clash between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

The 16-year-old has mustered 29 goals in seventeen league matches for the U18s this term and has broken Folarin Balogun's record for the most goals scored by an Arsenal player in the U18 Premier League in a single season.

Jesper Mikkelsen expects the striker to be a focal point for the opponents during the upcoming European Championship.

In quotes relayed by bold.dk, he said: "We are really happy to have Chido with us. Teams are going to keep an eye on Chido, and it's also about us taking advantage of the fact that he can create some extra attention.

"That way we can create space for other of our skilled offensive players, so even if Chido scores many goals himself, we had six different goalscorers out of the eight goals we scored last time we were away.

"So fortunately we also have others who can do it, but we are super happy that we have Chido with us, and we hope that he can hit the same form that he has shown for his club lately."

Obi-Martin, who has scored ten goals in fourteen appearances for Denmark U17 national team, will be aiming to become the third player of Nigerian descent to win the Golden Boot at the U17 EURO, after Victor Moses (2007) and Dominic Solanke (2014).

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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