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Arsenal are moving quickly to secure the long-term future of teenage starlet Ethan Nwaneri, and reports suggest an agreement over a new contract could be struck soon.
Mikel Arteta has relied upon the recently-turned 18-year-old after Bukayo Saka tore his hamstring in December. The attacking midfielder by trade remains the Premier League's youngest-ever player, making his debut for the Gunners as a 15-year-old in September 2022, and Nwaneri's early promise at a senior level has proven that his record-breaking appearance was no PR gimmick.
The Hale End graduate has superstar potential, and Arsenal were undeniably grateful that he resisted offers from elsewhere to remain in north London before he penned his first professional contract last year.
Now, the Gunners are aiming to tie Nwaneri down for the long haul.
Arsenal keen to tie Ethan Nwaneri down to new long-term contract
Pulling the strings.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 15, 2025
The Premier League Player of the Match: Ethan Nwaneri 👏 pic.twitter.com/H9GtraBhCo
After impressing with a string of cameo performances during the first half of the season, Saka's significant injury has offered Nwaneri the chance to impress as a starter down the right flank.
The 18-year-old has returned eight goals in all competitions, scoring twice in the Champions League, and has produced performances which suggest he's heading for the very top.
His breakthrough has thrust the club into a state of proactivity on the contract front, with the Daily Mail reporting that a lucrative new contract is on the brink of being agreed. There were reports back in the autumn of Arsenal potentially offering Nwaneri a deal boasting a significant salary increase which would make him one of the Premier League's highest-paid teenagers, but the playmaker's rise renders such an investment wise.
Nwaneri's performances over the past couple of months earned him his maiden call-up to Lee Carsley's England U21 squad, while fellow Hale End starlet Myles Lewis-Skelly was selected in Thomas Tuchel's first England squad and scored on debut against Albania. Together, the two teenagers are poised to emerge as cornerstones of the Mikel Arteta project which has entered a crucial juncture.
Nwaneri is one of several players that incoming sporting director Andrea Berta must draw to the negotiating table. In order to hush rumours of Gabriel departing for Saudi Arabia or Real Madrid coming in for William Saliba, new contracts for the pair must be discussed at the end of the season. An agreement with Saka, who's current deal expires in 2027, is expected to be much easier to reach.