Wonderkid who once scored five goals in a game as a striker could become Arsenal’s surprise saviour

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Arsenal’s decision to not sign a new striker in the winter window has created some panic.

The Gunners are short of options in attack. Bukayo Saka is still injured, while Gabriel Jesus is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery.

Everyone urged Arsenal to strengthen their attack – Mikel Arteta even publicly claimed that he wanted a new striker. But, the board let him down.

The Arsenal manager needs to find a way to help Kai Havertz up top, and a surprise option could become Arteta’s saviour – Ethan Nwaneri.

Arsenal star Ethan Nwaneri’s stats as a striker are exceptional

Nwaneri has become a fan favourite at Arsenal.

The teenager became the youngest-ever player in the Premier League when he was 15, and just two years later now, he is pushing to become a regular.

After failing to sign a new striker in the winter window, Arteta named four Arsenal players who can play up front apart from Kai Havertz, and Nwaneri was one of them.

The Arsenal boss has previously claimed that the 17-year-old can play as a number nine too.

Nwaneri has never played a senior game as a striker before, but he has featured in that role for the Arsenal U18s and the England youth sides in the past.

In 12 appearances as a centre-forward for club and country at youth level, Nwaneri has scored 14 goals and provided four assists.

He even scored five goals in a single game for the Arsenal U18s in a 7-1 win against Crewe Alexandra in December 2023.

Why Mikel Arteta thinks Nwaneri as a striker would work

Nwaneri is a sensational talent.

The 17-year-old has great feet, excellent vision, and his dribbling skills are already up there with the best at Arsenal and perhaps even in the Premier League.

When we see Nwaneri, we like him as a number 10 or out wide, but Arteta has twice claimed that the youngster can play up top for Arsenal.

The reason for that is Nwaneri’s excellent finishing.

“He’s got the goal in front of him and he just looks at the goal and he has a tremendous ability to put the ball in the back of the net,” Arteta said in December last year.