Ethan Nwaneri is amongst thirteen young prospects to have signed first year scholarships with Arsenal.
Arsenal confirmed on their official website that Ethan Nwaneri, and twelve others, have agreed scholarship terms with the club. This news follows reports that Nwaneri would become a scholar ahead of signing professional terms with the Gunners when age rules allow him to do so. As reported by The Telegraph, the North London club have seen off interest from Chelsea and Manchester City in order to retain his services.
Despite being just 16-years-old, there has already been plenty of fan interest in the midfielder. In September 2022, the Enfield-born Nwaneri became the youngest player in Premier League history when he made his debut as a late substitute against Brentford. Whilst he hasn’t made a first team appearance since, Mikel Arteta sent a very clear message with this selection decision. Nwaneri will have been convinced of his place in the club’s plans, and other academy players will have been reassured that a pathway to the first team exists for them.
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Arteta’s view on Nwaneri
Arteta gave Nwaneri plenty of credit following his historic outing, saying “the first day I met him I looked him in his eyes and everyone was telling me about him, Per [Mertesacker] was telling me about him.” However, he tempered his excitement with a note of caution, stating “it’s just one step and all the steps in your career are not forward and you have to know that. You can go forward then backwards and then forwards,” as quoted by the club’s official website.
There’s plenty of talent amongst the other new scholars, too. Myles Lewis-Skelly is another particularly exciting prospect within the group. He is versatile, technically-gifted, and has featured for England at youth level. Given the amount of exciting young talent currently at the Emirates Stadium, the future looks bright for the club.