The 2025/26 season has been one of Mikel Arteta’s hardest campaigns at Arsenal.
No, we’re not talking about the difficult fixture list or the quality of the opposition – the Gunners have handled that brilliantly and are on top of the Premier League and Champions League tables.
The problem for Arteta has been keeping all of his players happy. After Arsenal signed eight new players in the summer, their squad depth has improved drastically.
That has led to some players not getting enough game time. Ethan Nwaneri is one of them.
Could this be Arsenal’s starting XI in 10 years?
Ethan Nwaneri has ‘proved’ that Mikel Arteta was wrong
Nwaneri is one of the most talented young players on the planet.
The Arsenal academy graduate is still only 18, but it feels like he’s a lot older than that because we’ve been seeing him for a while now.
After he signed a new contract and changed his shirt number in the summer, Nwaneri would have hoped to make a big impact this season.
However, the teenager has started just one game in the Champions League and none in the Premier League so far. He has played just 446 minutes across all competitions.
After deciding against giving him a start against Club Brugge, Mikel Arteta was asked about Nwaneri’s attitude and application behind the scenes amid the frustration of not playing enough.
The Arsenal manager said in his pre-Wolves press conference, as per Arsenal.com: “In the same manner that other players have to cope with this kind of situation, preparing in the best possible way, I think he’s doing it.
“His attitude has been excellent, and when he’s got the chance to play, he proved that I’m wrong, that he needs to play more minutes and help the team as much as possible.”
Speaking about Nwaneri’s request to play in a behind-closed-doors friendly, Arteta added: “Ethan’s attitude on that is exceptional.
“He wants to train, and he wants to be outside, and he wants to be in touch with that ball. In that sense, he’s top!”
If you could pick one club in the entire world for Ethan Nwaneri to join on loan in January, which would it be and why?
Or should Arsenal just keep him until the summer?
It’s clear what needs to happen with Ethan Nwaneri at Arsenal
By Arteta’s own admission, Nwaneri has proved that the Arsenal boss was wrong not to give him more minutes, but he hasn’t had much choice.
Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze are both ahead of the youngster in the pecking order in attacking midfield, and the same is the case on the right wing, with Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke.
The best thing for all parties would be for Nwaneri to go out on loan in the January transfer window. There will be plenty of clubs interested in his services.
Andrea Berta will have to carefully assess which team will bring the best out of the youngster and help him develop into a much better player.
In our opinion, Borussia Dortmund would be perfect for Nwaneri. The German giants were keen to sign him in the summer, and we can’t imagine that their interest has gone away.
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