Ethan Nwaneri:Will He Ever Get There?

At 15 years and 181 days, he remains the youngest player to ever play in the Premier League and only   penultimate week he signed his first professional contract for Arsenal.  Though, Gunners’ manager, Mikel Arteta, is of the opinion that the Anglo-Nigerian is ready to rough feathers with the big boys, but the football world has witnessed many Arsenal’s promising Hale Products that turned out to be big flops.  The big question now is , will Ethan Nwaneri rise to the occasion? 

Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe are just a few players that have made the transition from the Arsenal academy to the first team look easy in recent years.

Mikel Arteta has followed in the footsteps of George Graham, Arsene Wenger and even Unai Emery in putting his faith in the club’s young players.

But while a number of Arsenal academy graduates have gone on to become world class stars, others though have failed to live up to the hype.

Promising stars like Chris Willock, Fran Merida, Arturo Lupoli, Wellington Silva, Gedion Zelalem and David Bentley were players whose names were sang to high heavens while at Hale, but never had success with Arsenal senior team.

Ethan Nwaneri, the youngest player in Premier League history, formalised his commitment to Arsenal by signing his first professional contract at the club.

Arsenal fought off serious interest from some of the Premier League’s biggest sides to keep hold of Nwaneri, who last year agreed to stay in north London.

Having turned 17 years last month, Nwaneri has now put pen to paper on a deal that is believed to be one of the most lucrative contracts ever offered to a youth-team player at Arsenal.

Nwaneri, an attacking midfielder, was only 15 when he made his Premier League debut in Arsenal’s 3-0 win at Brentford in September 2022. He made another senior appearance earlier this season, as a substitute in Arsenal’s 6-0 victory at West Ham United.

The England youth international is the youngest player to represent Arsenal’s first team, and has scored 14 goals in 14 appearances for the club’s academy sides this season.

Per Mertesacker, the former Arsenal defender who is now the club’s academy manager, said: “Ethan has a strong ability to master the ball and dominate possession, this is what we are all about at Arsenal Football Club.”

Nwaneri is held in high regard by the senior players in Arteta’s first-team squad. Some of those first-team stars actively encouraged Arteta, during the game at West Ham, to throw Nwaneri into action.

“There is something that you have to have in your team, and that is the trust of the teammates,” said Arteta after the game. “And I had two things: one, the players on the bench whispering to bring Ethan on, which is a great thing to hear, and the other one your teammates want to give you the ball all of the time.

“If they do that, it’s because they really trust you and you only have to see how many times he was involved. So it was a great sign.”

Arsenal’s progress in recent seasons has made it harder than ever for talented youngsters to take the step from academy football to the senior team. To play in midfield for the first-team, for example, requires a player to be as good as Declan Rice (£105 million), Kai Havertz (£65 million) and Martin Odegaard (£30 million).

The levels are astonishingly high, and the vast majority of academy players, even the very best players in the youth ranks will never make it at Arsenal. Indeed, there is an expectation that some of the more exciting young talents of the past few years will probably leave the club this summer.

It says so much about Nwaneri, then, that Arsenal were so desperate to secure his long-term future. This is a rare talent, even among rare talents, and there is a feeling at the club that he might have a real chance of making the grade, if everything goes to plan over these next few years.

Nwaneri has already earned the respect of his team-mates, who called for Arteta to bring him on against West Ham earlier this season. They can see, up close, what kind of technical ability and creative talent he brings to the pitch. The Arsenal fans got a glimpse of it, too, when he did make it off the bench against West Ham.

This new professional contract was agreed months ago but the formalisation of it, now that Nwaneri is 17, is an important milestone in the England youth international’s journey.

Gunners’ manager has indeed urged Nwaneri to make the most of his opportunity at Arsenal after signing his first professional contract last week.

Nwaneri made his Premier League debut on 18 September 2022 against Brentford at the age of 15 years and 181 days, becoming the youngest player to appear in the top flight of English football.

When speaking about Nwaneri, Arteta said the youngster was ‘very close’ to the first team and challenged him to secure a regular place in Arsenal’s matchday squad.

‘I was really happy for Nwaneri signing a professional contract,’ he said. ‘He had a great day, he had all his family and important people around him.

‘A really proud moment to see another academy graduate signing his pro contract. He is very close to the first team. The opportunity is there, now he needs to take it.’

Arsenal academy manager Per Mertesacker said: “We are extremely proud of Ethan and his journey, from pre-academy to Hale End, then a seamless transition to Sobha Realty Training Centre and then making his first-team debut.

“Ethan’s journey now continues, and we will all be there alongside him to support his development. Ethan has a strong ability to master the ball and dominate possession, this is what we are all about at Arsenal Football Club.”

Nwaneri has been turning out for Arsenal’s youth teams this season, scoring 14 goals in as many appearances while getting the occasional opportunity with the first XI.

Nwaneri’s journey to the brink of first-team football has been nothing short of remarkable, capturing the attention of football enthusiasts worldwide.

As anticipation mounts among fans and pundits alike, Nwaneri’s imminent graduation to Arsenal’s first team heralds a new chapter in the club’s storied history, promising an infusion of youthful energy and talent into the Premier League.

However, there can be no telling whether he will ultimately be good enough for a club that is competing for the Premier League and Champions League. To do so, he will need to wring every drop of talent out of himself. But it is clear that Arsenal believe he might one day reach those levels, as Saka has done since his own graduation from the academy.