Chido Obi is receiving interest from Dutch club Willem II ahead of tonight's transfer deadline in the Netherlands. The 18-year-old also has Feyenoord as a potential suitor, while there is some interest from Denmark six years after leaving Copenhagen for Arsenal.
Decision expected soon
His representatives and Manchester United are weighing up the Denmark under-21 international's options to find a suitable loan destination. A decision is expected soon, with the summer window closing in Denmark and the Netherlands at midnight local time on Wednesday, which is 11pm BST.
Obi wants a loan move, and United are keen to let him go too. Willem II is also where Alexander Isak spent half a season on loan from Borussia Dortmund as a teenager in 2019. He played 18 times across all competitions for the team from Tilburg, scored 14 times, and earned a £9million transfer to Real Sociedad.
Isak comparison
Obi will want to make a similar impact in the Eredivisie. Willem II were promoted back to the top flight last season through the Eerste Divisie play-offs. Isak, however, was more experienced, having played 29 games and scored five goals for AIK and made 13 appearances, scoring once, for Dortmund. Obi has just eight first-team outings.
The Denmark under-21 international has drawn comparisons to his fellow Scandinavian striker throughout his fledgling career. After signing for United a year ago, the Manchester Evening News spoke to football.london's then-chief Arsenal writer, Kaya Kaynak, about Obi.
Willem II's loan history
Describing what type of player the teenager is, they said: "He's quite a bit taller than most others around his age group right now and looks stylistically a bit similar to Alexander Isak with his languid running and technical ability."
During that same season, Vangelis Pavlidis joined Isak on loan there from Bochum, scoring six goals in 17 appearances. Unlike the Swede, they were able to sign him permanently. Pavlidis went on to score 27 goals across the next two seasons and secured a move to AZ, where he scored 80 times before joining Benfica.
His fellow Greece international Kostas Tsimikas also went on loan there from Olympiacos three years before signing for Liverpool. Frenkie De Jong, meanwhile, came through their academy after being scouted at the age of eight. That is the same age Virgil van Dijk joined them.
