Arsenal thrashed Bolton Wanderers 5-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night and 17-year-old forward Ethan Nwaneri was the star of the show.
The teenager, who can play as a centre-mid, number 10 or right-winger, is widely considered to be one of the most promising players to have come out of the Gunners’ academy in years.
Nwaneri bagged his first two senior goals for Arsenal against Bolton, putting himself in contention for more playing time in the Premier League.
Speaking on Live from N5 before the game, Theo Walcott discussed how excited he is about Nwaneri’s potential to become a key player at the Emirates.
“I’m really looking forward to watching Ethan, I really am because he’s the one player who really lit up the whole place in pre-season, he really did, not just that, his energy around the place, he’s a really good kid so keep an eye on him,” Walcott said.
Walcott broke into the Arsenal side as a 17-year-old back in 2006 and knows what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.
He believes that Nwaneri’s mentality and undeniably makes him one of the most exciting prospects he’s seen.
Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has also stated recently that the Gunners’ staff are extremely excited by Nwaneri’s potential.
“At the club they are very happy with the evolution of the young people who come up from the academy. We try to give them all the help we can to make them comfortable,” Martinelli said.
“Everyone knows how difficult it is to get into the first team, to be a professional. They have to take advantage of the opportunity, but also be calm.
“Ethan is a very quality boy. The club has a lot of faith in him and hopes that he will be the one who can help us the most in the future.”
Arsenal face Leicester City at the Emirates on Saturday and they will hope to pick up a big three points in the context of the title race.
Nwaneri is currently behind the likes of Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Declan Rice in the pecking order, but it will be interesting to see if Arteta names him in his starting XI this weekend.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are looking to sign a new striker to compete with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. We understand that Arteta wants a forward capable of consistently scoring 20 goals a season.
As we exclusively revealed on Tuesday, the Gunners have drawn up a five-man shortlist of strikers that they are targeting for a 2025 transfer.
We understand that Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres, Marcus Thuram, Dusan Vlahovic and Jonathan David are all of interest to Arsenal.
All five of those players will command big fees, so it is more likely that Arsenal will sign one next summer, rather than in January.
The Gunners are also one of several top sides interested in Bayer Leverkusen Florian Wirtz, who’s one of the best talents in the Bundesliga.
Reports from Germany state that the North London side have emerged as one of the leading contenders to sign the German international.
Wirtz won’t come cheap, though, with Leverkusen reportedly demanding a minimum of £125.5m for him. But it’s claimed that Arsenal are willing to smash their transfer record and pay that fee.
As mentioned, Nwaneri is one of the most exciting prospects to emerge from the Arsenal academy in recent times – and in fact, he has been on the radar of the first team for a couple of years.
Back in September 2022, Nwaneri made headlines by becoming the Premier League’s youngest ever debutant at the age of just 15 years and 181 days. Since then, the talented attacking midfielder has been honing his craft further.
Gifted on the ball, Nwaneri can operate in a variety of attacking positions. Having cited Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Wilshere among his influences growing up, he is mainly regarded as a no.10, but can also play as a central midfielder or winger. His preferred role is anywhere that allows him to make the most of pockets of space behind the attack.
Those who have worked closely on Nwaneri’s development have observed his ability to control possession and make an impact in the final third. He is an effective passer, crosser and finisher, and has worked extensively on his positional awareness.
In March 2024, Nwaneri put pen to paper on his first professional contract with Arsenal, where he has developed since he was nine years old. Now, on the wave of scoring his first two senior goals, his boyhood club are eager to see how he progresses among their ranks further.
