Why Ethan Nwaneri must stay at Arsenal

Ever since Mikel Arteta gave 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri his Arsenal debut against Brentford in the Premier League, he has received an unprecedented amount of attention for a player still playing under-18 football.

Arteta received a mixed response to the decision, with many claiming it was a publicity stunt and was putting too much pressure on the boy. However, Nwaneri appears to have come out of it completely unphased and has played a major role in Jack Wilshere’s U18s reaching the FA Youth Cup final.

Other clubs are on red alert, though, particularly Man City and Chelsea. Charles Watts has reported in Goal that Arsenal are fighting hard to keep hold of the young talent, but it is by no means a guarantee.

His future is very much up in the air, and Wilshere seems similarly unclear on his future, telling Goal: “We all hope he stays because he’s an exceptional talent. But, as coaches, we don’t get involved and we don’t talk about that. Our job is to develop Ethan to help him when he goes with the first team.”

These updates will not exactly fill fans with hope, but for Ethan Nwaneri, staying at Arsenal is a must if he is to fully develop into the player we hope he can be.

Why Ethan Nwaneri must stay at Arsenal

Chelsea are currently a mess, languishing in the bottom half of the table with a first-team so bloated that The Athletic reported that players were having to get changed in the hallway as there was no space in the changing rooms.

Trying to break into that squad and then navigate your way into a key role will be extremely tough. With City, there is the challenge of breaking into a highly experienced, winning machine as a very young player.

At Arsenal, Nwaneri already has Arteta’s trust. Alongside his debut, he was given minutes during the World Cup run of friendlies in Dubai where he impressed.

He also has evidence right in front of his eyes that Arteta will place his trust in academy players when he feels they are ready. Although Unai Emery gave Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka their debuts, and Arsene Wenger with Eddie Nketiah, it was Arteta who made them prominent first-team figures and handed them ‘big’ squad numbers.

He has also shown the same faith with Reiss Nelson when his Arsenal career looked over and now appears to be on the verge of handing him a new contract.

This evidence should be a huge indicator to Nwaneri that the same can happen to him. He also has to remember that he is being developed playing the Arsenal way. The club are very much preparing the under-18s to play the way the first team does to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.

Currently, Chelsea have an interim manager and have no set way of playing. It’s likely the new boss will want his own players and will want to put his stamp on things. That leaves a huge amount of doubt for a young player. Will they fit in? Will the manager trust the kids? Will Nwaneri be a fit for what the manager wants?

He will only have to look to Omari Hutchinson to see what can happen with the wrong move. After a great season with the 18s and numerous appearances on the bench for Arsenal’s first team, his career has completely stagnated at Chelsea, and he looks further away from breaking through than ever before.

That cannot happen with Nwaneri. He has too much talent. But, talent isn’t enough. The right environment, coach and his own dedication all have to combine to allow him to flourish, and he will get that from Arteta and Arsenal.