It sure sounds like Ethan Nwaneri has made up his mind on Arsenal future

Will 2026 finally be Arsenal's year? As we start a new year, the Gunners are top of the Premier League, having collected 45 points, beaten only twice so far, following Tuesday's 4-1 drubbing of Aston Villa.

Mikel Arteta's team have also already ticked off numerous tough away fixtures; they've already visited Villa Park, Anfield, Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford, the Stadium of Light, St James' Park and Bramley-Moore Dock. In fact, of teams currently 12th or above, Arsenal only have to face Manchester City, Brentford and Crystal Palace on the road.

After last season's title bid was completely derailed by injuries, building a big squad capable of absorbing key absentees was a priority last summer. Piero Hincapié and Eberechi Eze specifically recruited for this reason. However, this does cause some casualties.

Eze's arrival in particular has very much blocked Ethan Nwaneri's pathway into the first time. The teenager signed a new five-year contract in August, but has been frustrated by a lack of first-team minutes since then. So, could he be on the move this month?

Will Ethan Nwaneri go on loan in January?

According to a report by Graeme Bailey of TeamTalk, Nwaneri is not looking to leave Arsenal on loan in the January transfer window. This is despite interest from numerous Premier League clubs.

So far this season, the Englishman has seen just 446 minutes across all competitions. He has started just three times, these coming against Slavia Prague in the Champions League, as well as Port Vale and Brighton in the EFL Cup. He will surely be hoping to add to his tally when the Gunners face Portsmouth in the FA Cup at Fratton Park a week on Sunday.

This means he ranks 21st in terms of minutes played at Arsenal this season, behind even Christian Nørgaard. That is obviously less involvement than he would've hoped, but it is certainly not the time to panic. Nwaneri's 19th birthday isn't until March, and he is probably ahead of schedule.

Last season, given numerous absences, he saw 1,378 minutes of action, including 16 starts. Across all competitions, Nwaneri scored nine times, eight of which came before his birthday. Only two players in Premier League history have scored more goals before turning 18, namely Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, who were both pretty good, weren't they?

The vast majority of Nwaneri's appearances last season came on the right-wing as a result of Bukayo Saka's prolonged absence. However, Arteta has decided that the youngster's future lies as a central player, hence the arrival of Noni Madueke. Earlier in the campaign, against both Leeds and West Ham, Nwaneri was the man introduced in the first half when Martin Ødegaard sustained an early injury.

This underlines that the manager still has faith in the teenager. On both occasions, he could have turned to more senior options. So, while Nwaneri's minutes may have dried up subsequently, patience is required as he learns this new position.

Should Arsenal decide to send him out on loan, it would be a risk. He would no longer be under Arteta's supervision. Additionally, depending on where he goes, there's no guarantee he'd be a first-team regular there either.

Right now, he is part of an elite environment every single day; earning minutes in the team top of both the Premier League and Champions League is never going to be easy! So, if reports are to be believed and Nwaneri is content to stay, he remains another high-quality member of Arteta's squad.

With Saturday's visit to Bournemouth the first of nine matches in January, Arsenal need everybody.