Arsenal ready to commit to Ethan Nwaneri by offering teenager huge new contract

Arsenal are readying a new contract for Hale End star Ethan Nwaneri that would see him become one of the highest-paid teenagers in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta has often been criticised for his supposed lack of interest in the club's youth stars, but he's taken a particular interest to the hugely exciting Nwaneri (along with fellow teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly) with the 17-year-old playing a considerable role for the Gunners at the start of the 2024/25 season.

The Premier League's youngest-ever debutant shone on his sole start this term as he scored twice in a 5-1 rout of Bolton in the third round of the Carabao Cup. He then made a notable impact off the bench against Leicester in the Premier League a few days later.

"The boy is ready," Arteta commented after his Bolton performance, and Arsenal are seemingly so convinced by the teenager's potential that they're ready to offer the dynamic midfielder a bumper new deal.

Arsenal ready to commit to Ethan Nwaneri by offering teenager huge new contract

Nwaneri attracted plenty of interest after making his record-breaking debut at Brentford in September 2022, but Arsenal announced back in March that their precocious star had signed his first professional contract with the club after turning 17. Nwaneri committed his future to the club the previous summer.

Despite signing this deal only a few months ago, Football Transfers (via Yahoo Sports) are reporting that Arsenal want to secure Nwaneri's long-term future by offering him a contract worth £60,000-a-week. Such a contract would make the Arsenal starlet the third highest-paid teenager in the Premier League behind Manchester United's Leny Yoro (£114,00-a-week), and Tottenham's Archie Gray (£74,638-a-week) - both of whom joined their respective clubs in the summer.

The reported move is undoubtedly a bold statement of intent from the club, but handing Nwaneri such a lucrative deal shouldn't come as a complete shock if Arteta views the slick starlet as a crucial cog in Arsenal's long-term future. Nwaneri has already been elevated to a 'squad player' this season, and a £60,000-a-week wage would place him in a humble position in the club's salary table. According to Spotrac, only Jakub Kiwior (£58,000-a-week) and loanee Neto (£50,000-a-week) would be earning less than the teenager.

Supporters will be keen to see more of Nwaneri as the current campaign progresses, with Martin Odegaard's prolonged absence hopefully opening a few more doors for the club's leading prodigy before Christmas. The kid is bundles of fun, and he's taken to the senior level like a fish to water.

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