Ethan Nwaneri scored a stunning curler in Arsenal’s first pre-season game against MK Dons.
It was exactly the kind of moment he needed, and the timing couldn’t have been better.
The writing looked on the wall for the 19-year-old after the signings of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke last summer.
That was exacerbated by the emergence of Max Dowman, who is a few years younger but already pushing hard for senior minutes in the same positions as Nwaneri.
But Arsenal source TeamNewsAndTix has offered an update on his future that will reassure Arsenal fans.
“I never really felt that Ethan Nwaneri would leave Arsenal,” the source said. “At most, I think Arsenal would loan him.
“Of course, if someone comes in with stupid money, the club would probably let him go, but I think the ‘stupid market’ for Nwaneri is gone.”
Fill in the blank: In five years, Ethan Nwaneri will be _________
How do you see the Arsenal youngster's future panning out…
So barring an extraordinary offer, Nwaneri might well be staying after all. And Mikel Arteta may want to give the 19-year-old more first-team minutes this season.
Pre-season provides such a big opportunity for Ethan Nwaneri
We wrote earlier this month about how Arsenal should delay any sort of departure for Nwaneri with so many players returning late from the World Cup.
Madueke, Eze, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard will all need time to recover before being integrated back into the squad.
Nwaneri, fresh, fit and firing, has a window to stake his claim for a regular role before the season’s main men return.
He appeared to play in a deeper central role against MK Dons, but his real opportunity lies at number ten. That’s where his technical quality and eye for goal are most dangerous.
With Odegaard turning 28 this year and Eze turning 29 next, there is a gap for Nwaneri. He just needs to be patient.
Phil Foden was 20 when he properly established himself as a regular starter for under Pep Guardiola. Nwaneri turns 20 in March.
Given the options they have in their squad, Arsenal will still be open to offers, and a Premier League loan at the end of the window is possibile if the right opportunity arises.
But the window for a big-money exit appears to have closed, and Arteta clearly sees value in keeping him around.
His brother Emerson Nwaneri recently committed his future to Arsenal, which could be a telling sign that the family’s relationship with the club is in a much better place than the rumours of earlier in the summer suggested.
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