“He’s a big talent” – Why Arsenal’s teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri is destined for the top

​

Three goals in first two starts 

©TM/IMAGO

Ethan Nwaneri blew away the record for the youngest ever Premier League player when he came on in Arsenal’s 3-0 win at Brentford in the 2022/23 season, aged just 15 years, five months and 28 days. The previous record was set by Harvey Elliot for Fulham, who was aged 16 years and 30 days. At the time, some claimed it was just a vanity project from boss Mikel Arteta to be the manager to have given the youngest ever player his first minutes. Almost two years on, and Arteta’s decision is looking more and more justified, with Nwaneri starting to make a real impact on the first-team in this 2024/25 season.

The 17 year old has made four appearances from the bench in the opening nine Premier League games of the season, and started both of Arsenal’s EFL Cup games, bagging three goals in the process. But his goal this Wednesday in the Gunners 3-0 win at Preston was certainly the pick of the bunch. He received the ball from Gabriel Jesus on the edge of the box with little space around him and few foreseeable opportunities to carve out a chance. With a swift drop of the shoulder he made half a yard and then whipped his strike straight into the top corner as the Preston keeper stood still and watched on in disbelief. Of course, Arsenal will face much tougher opponents than Championship side Preston, and he will have to prove his worth against the top teams at some stage, but this strike probably couldn’t have been stopped by a Manchester City or Real Madrid defence.

Bukayo Saka has carved out the route from Arsenal’s Hale End academy to becoming a first-team superstar, and Nwaneri looks very much like he may be next in line. Back in the summer of 2023, Man City and Chelsea both tried to prize the youngster away from North London with offers of higher wages, but Arteta managed to convince him to stay, and Nwaneri signed a two-year scholarship deal with the club. With electric dribbling and superb ball-striking ability, he’s been a star player throughout the Gunners’ youth ranks, and looks destined for the very top.

Speaking about Nwaneri after Arsenal’s EFL Cup victory over Preston, Arteta said: “He’s a big talent, he’s got the right attitude, he’s got the right players and context around him and we need to make sure that we put brick by brick in the right tempo, in the right order, but we have some player there.” Nwaneri has shone in the EFL Cup thus far this season, but his cameos in the Premier League have been equally impressive, and with captain Martin Ødegaard still nursing an ankle injury, many fans have called for Nwaneri to start in the Premier League in his absence to provide some of that missing creativity.

When Arsenal played Leicester at the Emirates in late September the Gunners had surrendered a 2-0 lead and went into the closing stages looking for a winner. It was Nwaneri that Arteta turned to. He came on in the 85th minute and within seconds had the Arsenal crowd on their feet, jinking between three opposing players and firing a shot towards the far corner which had to be acrobatically tipped away by Leicester keeper Mads Hermansen. Every time he got the ball, there was excitement. Only six players 17 years old or younger have played more minutes for a top five league club than Nwaneri’s 193 minutes for Arsenal so far this campaign.

“You see his teammates, they are giving him the ball all the time, that’s a great sign.” Arteta proclaimed of Nwaneri. And it’s true that it’s a very positive indicator that a star-studded Arsenal team are already looking towards Nwaneri to make something happen. His teammates know just how good the 17 year old is. “There’s so much personality there. He wants to impose himself, he wants every ball, he wants to make things happen,” Arteta continued. It seems a matter of time before Nwaneri is playing a more key role in the Premier League and the Champions League for the Gunners.

He already has a market value of €12m, and that figure looks set to rise in December’s Premier League market value update. As illustrated in the graphic above, only two U18 players have scored more goals for a top-five league clubs this season. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal has scored six, while Heidenheim’s Paul Wanner (on loan from Bayern Munich) has five. If we change the criteria to U17 players only three players have even scored for a top-five league club this term – Yamal, Nwaneri and Genoa’s Jeff Ekhator. Arsenal have unearthed a gem.