Ethan Nwaneri has finally put pen to paper on a new long-term contract at Arsenal.
After negotiations dragged on for months, there were some concerns around Arsenal that Nwaneri could leave, with his agent reportedly pushing for assurances over game time.
However, the teenager, who scored nine times for the Gunners in his debut campaign last term, has now committed his future to the club he’s grown up at.
Nwaneri joins Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Magalhaes in signing new deals at the Emirates this summer, with Andrea Berta continuing to demonstrate his acumen as sporting director.
Ethan Nwaneri says he looks up to Reiss Nelson and three other Arsenal stars
Arsenal have developed several talented players through their academy in recent years.
Bukayo Saka is the team’s talisman and has spent his entire career in N5, while the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah and Alex Iwobi have all emerged through Hale End and gone on to enjoy successful Premier League careers.
Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are the latest two to break through into the first team, and both will now remain in North London for the foreseeable future, after signing new deals this summer.
In an interview with Arsenal.com, upon signing his fresh contract, Nwaneri cited some of the aforementioned players, as well as Reiss Nelson, as people he looks up to.
“Reiss [Nelson], Bukayo [Saka], Emile [Smith Rowe] – so many players,” Nwaneri said.
“Ainsley Maitland-Niles – all these players I was looking up to when I was young. You don’t compare, but you’ve shared something, like a moment.
“They’ve been where you’ve been, and you’re trying to get to where they are.”
Smith Rowe left for Fulham last year, while Reiss Nelson is expected to leave for the Cottagers this term.
This will leave Nwaneri with just one of the role models he mentioned left at Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta will hope this lack of remaining inspiration doesn’t negatively affect the player’s development off the pitch.
What Ethan Nwaneri said about signing a new contract at Arsenal
Nwaneri is expected to play a more central role at Arsenal next season, after filling in for the injured Saka on the right at times last campaign.
This role should get the best out of him, with his ability to dribble in tight spaces and get powerful shots off from the edge of the box better used centrally.
While his position and role in the team was reportedly a discussion that prompted conflict and disagreement in negotiations with the player’s entourage, Nwaneri was never in doubt over whether he was going to extend his stay at a club he’s already been at for ten years.
“It means everything to me, I’m so happy to have got it done,” he said.
“This is where I feel at home, and where I’m going to develop the best. I’m ready. I’m very excited.
“I see this as my first real season, and part of a proper squad in the changing room. I’m so excited about what I can bring to the team and how I can help the team.
“I’m a very versatile player, so I think I’m going to play anywhere across the front five, and I’m ready to do what the manager needs.”
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