3 Arsenal players who should be given an opportunity in pre-season

3. Ethan Nwaneri

The Hale End graduate has recently signed a new contract with the Gunners amid his record-breaking season and media hype. At just 15 years old, when Arsenal faced Brentford, Nwaneri became the youngest-ever player to play in the Premier League. Although it is a very impressive achievement, he may only have featured to break the record and although he is undeniably talented, does his talent warrant the hype?

"“It was a feeling that I had yesterday, I don’t know why…it’s just one step and all the steps in your career are not forward and you have to know that. You can go forward then backwards and then forwards. You fall, you go back – that’s, unfortunately, this industry and the football career of any player.” – Mikel Arteta on why he substituted Ethan Nwaneri"

Arteta will most likely look to answer the previous question in pre-season as it looks likely that Charlie Patino and Sambi Lokonga are heading towards exits this summer. With this, as a forward-thinking club, it will give Arsenal a premature measurement of whether a new midfielder will be needed in the future or if Nwaneri can fill the boots of previous senior players.

Last season, Nwaneri scored seven goals and assisted five in the Arsenal U18 side and has been spoken highly of by his head coach and former Arsenal midfielder, Jack Wilshere, and the manager of the academy, Per Mertesacker.

After pre-season, depending on his level, it should be assessed whether Nwaneri is at a level where he should go out on loan to develop and get crucial game time or whether he could play in the first rounds of domestic competitions and evolve in north London.

The English midfielder is an exciting man to keep your eye on and he will hope that his performances in pre-season will be enough to enter Arteta’s plans for the upcoming season.