When Bukayo Saka suffered an injury in December 2024, it looked like Arsenal’s title challenge had hit the rocks before even gathering momentum.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta must have had some head-scratching moment trying to fill Saka’s void for about three months, and his answer came from the 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, who joined the club’s ranks as an eight-year-old.
Born to a Nigerian father and an English mother, Nwaneri is now a bright talent who is keeping the injury-hit Arsenal’s title hopes alive, particularly now that leaders Liverpool have dropped points in their last two games.
Filling in for the injured Saka on the right wing – a position that would not be considered his favourite – the gifted teenager looks every inch a superstar in the making and he is also drawing the attention of Nigerian fans who want him to ditch England and play for the Super Eagles.
Nwaneri’s best position is as a central attacking midfielder. That is the role he excels in most, but it is currently occupied by captain Martin Odegaard. However, the 17-year-old gets on to the ball more often in deeper areas, and in more central positions than Saka does when effectively performing the same job out wide.
Acting as cover for Saka on the right in his last five Premier League appearances, Nwaneri has shone with two goals and one assist, earning the praise of Arteta for his Man of The Match display against Leicester City the last time out.
“Obviously, his age is something that puts a question mark on how we have to deal with him, but every time that he’s given us, he’s always ‘let me go, let me go, let me go.’ When a player is giving you all those signs, you shouldn’t stop it, and you have to play with that freedom, that creativity, that confidence that he’s playing with at the minute and the players around him are believing in him. So, let him go because he’s a massive threat, massive talent and he deserves to play,” Arteta said after the win against Leicester.
Against the Foxes, he also became the youngest player on record (since 2003/04) to complete five or more dribbles and assist a goal in a Premier League match – a record previously held by his illustrious teammate, Saka, who was 18 years and 164 days old when achieving the same feat against Newcastle United in 2020.
Before now, he had become the youngest ever Premier League player in September 2022, when he came on as a late substitute in Arsenal’s 3-0 win at Brentford, aged just 15 years and 181 days.
At 15, he was fast-tracked into the first team by Arteta and he looks set to play a bigger role for them as the Gunners push for the elusive EPL title in yet another season.
Nwaneri has earned a spot in the Arsenal team in the absence of Saka, and there might be another selection headache for Arteta when the Englishman returns.
“If he (Nwaneri) starts, the alternatives would be as a box-to-box midfielder, maybe shifting Odegaard across to the left, and dropping Declan Rice into the defensive midfield spot,” Ex-English footballer, Adrian Clarke noted.
“Given how comfortable Nwaneri is at beating markers on both sides, using both feet, Arteta may also consider him as an option to use on the left wing instead. Nwaneri may have to accept a return to being used as an impact sub when Saka is back in the starting XI.”
Whichever way Arteta deems possible, Nwaneri, given his form and rapid progress is the man that West Ham United will fear most on Saturday as the Gunners hope to cut the gap on Liverpool.