Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Wolves produced many talking points, but very few of them were positive.
The Gunners were terrible against Wolves, who are yet to win a Premier League game this season.
Less than a week after Manchester United dismantled Rob Edwards’ team 4-1 away from home, there was a lot of talk about what Arsenal could do to the West Midlands strugglers.
What played out was a disgraceful performance from Mikel Arteta’s side, who required two own goals to win the match.
One of the biggest discussion points, however, arose from the announcement of the matchday squad.
Ethan Nwaneri was Arsenal’s biggest loser against Wolves
What appeared to be an astoundingly strong starting XI and bench was actually a huge cause for concern for several Arsenal players.
One of them was Ethan Nwaneri, whose Arsenal future is already being questioned.
If there was ever any doubt that Nwaneri could go on loan in January, the clash against Wolves proved that he’s almost certainly heading towards a temporary exit.
That’s because, when looking at Arsenal’s bench against Wolves, the teenager’s name is one of the most replaceable ones.
Which four Arsenal players will drop out of the matchday squad when everyone is available?
With Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhaes and Kai Havertz still to return to the Arsenal squad, those named on the bench against Wolves will soon lose their status on the teamsheet.
Calafiori is only suspended, so will naturally come back in against Everton, which will likely signal a drop out of the matchday squad for Nwaneri.
Christian Norgaard is also at risk, but given the role he plays, he’s needed, as Arteta doesn’t have sufficient defensive midfield backup.
Not playing enough minutes is already a problem for Nwaneri, an issue that is clearly only going to worsen when those missing from the squad return.
Nwaneri didn’t even have to play against Wolves to have his future inclusion in the matchday squad questioned, which is a real worry for a player of his quality.
Nwaneri must have so many questions for Mikel Arteta right now
What only makes the situation harder for the Arsenal academy product to digest is that those ahead of him in the pecking order aren’t delivering.
Who is ending the season with more goal contributions? Eberechi Eze or Martin Odegaard?
Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze were awful against Wolves, with neither playmaker producing anywhere near the required creative output.
Nwaneri must wonder what it will take for him to get minutes, as right now, it could be said that he’s missing out purely because of the ‘bigger names’ in the squad.
There’s no doubting the quality the teen has, but even when those ahead of him aren’t performing, his way in is blocked.
What the future holds for Nwaneri will very much become clear this season, with the answers likely to come away from Arsenal with a loan spell.
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