Ethan Nwaneri is catching the eye with his performances for Arsenal in recent weeks.
The teenager has taken the mantle left by the injured Bukayo Saka on the right-wing for the Gunners, and has been Mikel Arteta’s team’s creative spark in a period where they’ve lacked attacking threat.
Claiming the man of the match accolade last weekend, Nwaneri was superb against Leicester, providing Mikel Merino with the assist for the opening goal, whilst hitting the woodwork twice with two powerful efforts.
Joe Cole compared Nwaneri to Lionel Messi after the clash with the Foxes, while Arsene Wenger waxed lyrical about the Hale End Academy product, comparing him to a young Cesc Fabregas.
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Perry Groves wants Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice to learn from Ethan Nwaneri
Since breaking into the Arsenal first team, Nwaneri has developed a knack for taking spectacular long-range shots.
The 17-year-old has scored seven goals already across all competitions this campaign, fewer than only Saka and Kai Havertz in the Gunners’ squad.
While it’s a small sample size, Nwaneri is averaging 3.07 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League at the moment, more than anyone barring Saka.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Arsenal legend Perry Groves claimed that he wants Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice to learn from Nwaneri’s willingness to shoot frequently.
“The thing is as well with Nwaneri, we all know about his creativity,” Groves said.
“He actually shoots from 20/25 yards. As an Arsenal fan, I don’t think we take enough shots, because we know that teams defend deep now.
“Sometimes we can be a bit clunky, a bit formulaic. You go down the left, you go down the right. I want Odegaard and Declan Rice to take this out of Nwaneri’s playbook.
“When teams are backing off, you just release a shot from 25 yards. You know what happens is, if you do start doing that, teams are going to have to come and close you down. But if you don’t start shooting, then they can sit a little bit deeper.
Asked if Nwaneri is in contention to make Thomas Thuchel’s first England squad in March, Groves stated that he thinks Arteta would rather he didn’t.
He said: “If you’re Mikel Arteta, you wouldn’t want him [Nwaneri] to be in this squad anyway, because you’ll want him to have this little rest basically, and calm yourself down.”
Perry Groves is correct about Arsenal’s shooting issues
While Arsenal are undoubtedly one of the best teams in the Premier League, and have scored more goals than any other side barring Liverpool and Manchester City, Groves is correct in his verdict about Arteta’s outfit’s shooting woes.
Arsenal are eleventh in total shots taken in the English top flight this season.
While the Gunners create higher-quality shooting opportunities than most, they’ve stopped attempting more ambitious shots from outside the box almost entirely this season.
Rice and Odegaard are indeed both culpable for this, with the former managing just 1.23 shots per 90 minutes and the latter just 1.57.
Both senior midfielders must take on this shooting responsibility more often, particularly in this period where Arsenal are missing several of their key forwards.
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