Arsenal fans who made the trip to N5 hoping to see a few of the club’s exciting youngsters on display vs Bolton Wanderers certainly weren’t disappointed.
Walking into the Emirates Stadium, a few Arsenal fans were still wearing Jack Wilshere shirts heading through the concourse, a player who once went on loan to the away side.
Wilshere made 14 appearances for Bolton in the second half of the 2009/10 season, an important step in his development.
Bonus points to any Arsenal fans who remember that Ryo Miyaichi also then made the same move on loan a few years later, even if he wasn’t so successful.
That being said, given that Bolton are now playing their football in League One, it seems unlikely that either Ethan Nwaneri or Myles Lewis-Skelly would make such a move nowadays – the two biggest young talents at the club.
Ethan Nwaneri the star of the show as Arsenal put five past Bolton
Both Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly proved that they’re Premier League ready against Bolton on Wednesday, with the former scoring two goals on his full debut.
Arsenal fans were also incredibly impressed by Lewis-Skelly, but it was Nwaneri who grabbed the headlines, the club’s brightest young talent since Bukayo Saka at the Hale End Academy.
READ MORE: What Arsenal fans kept chanting after Nwaneri scored vs Bolton
Nwaneri broke a long-standing record for Arsenal in the 5-1 win, a perfect night for the 17-year-old.
That being said, Nwaneri took to Instagram after the game to celebrate the win and his individual performance, uploading three photos from his first 90 minutes.
As you may expect, there was a strong outpouring of support for the youngster, who could be in line for his first Premier League start on Saturday.
Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice all replied to the post, with the latter writing: “The truth.”
Josh Nichols and Jack Porter also impress for Arsenal
Although it was a night predominantly about Nwaneri at the Emirates, there were also full debuts for Josh Nichols and Jack Porter.
Both played out of necessity, they’re now quite in the same club as Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly just yet.
But it was still an unforgettable moment for the youngsters, who will hope to stay close to the first team in the coming months.
Porter in particular is thought to be an excellent goalkeeper for his age – it’s very rare to see a 16-year-old in between the sticks in senior football.
And in truth, it’s been a long time since Arsenal had an academy keeper come through with Wojciech Szczesny the first name that comes to mind.
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