Mikel Arteta makes Arsenal critics look so silly after ‘self-indulgent’ decision
COMMENT: Mikel Arteta’s astute management of one star is seeing huge benefits.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has made critics of Ethan Nwaneri’s Premier League debut look silly with the teenager now shining in the first-team. The England youth international became the top-flight youngest player aged 15 in 2022, prompting criticism of the Gunners head coach.
Arteta was accused of being ‘self-indulgent’ for giving Nwaneri the chance to break that record. But it has rapidly become evident that the teenager has a vast amount of talent.
His stunning strike against Preston in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday – cutting inside and thumping the ball into the top corner – was his third goal of the season. Nwaneri and fellow academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly have both benefited from game time this season and appear ready to make their mark at senior level.
Having become the Premier League’s youngest player in a 3-0 win over Brentford, Nwaneri has had to be patient for regular involvement. He snubbed interest from Manchester City and Chelsea to sign a long-term contrac
t in north London and is now reaping the rewards
Arteta has placed his trust in the 17-year-old and his management of the youngster’s development has been crucial to Nwaneri blossoming this season. Critics of the Spaniard’s decision to play Nwaneri as a schoolboy now look silly.
“Congratulations, because that is a wonderful achievement and I’m delighted for him on a personal level. But there is a big ‘but’ coming. Arteta doesn’t really care about the boy,” said former Chelsea player and talkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy at the time.
“I’m sorry, I think that’s a really poor decision. Because it’s about Arteta. It’s all about Arteta. ‘The manager who played the youngest-ever player is me’. I think that’s self-indulgent.
“When I saw the kid on the bench, I remember thinking, ‘it’s great for him there on the bench’. I was on the bench at 17 – I never got on, but I remember being on the bench. I’m thinking, ‘What a brilliant experience for the kid’. But when he’s warming up and coming on, I’m thinking, ‘This is ridiculous’.
“This has nothing to do with the kid and it’s all about Arteta. All about him, self-indulgent, ‘Look what I’ve done, I’ve given the youngest-ever player his appearance in the Premier League.”
Arteta has at times been criticised for not making the most of Arsenal’s academy. Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly seem set to buck that trend.
