Ethan Nwaneri: Arsenal’s Diamond in the Rough
Club: Arsenal
Nationality: England
Position: AM, RW, SS, ST
Preferred Foot: Left
Height: 5’9”/176cm
Age: 17
Strengths: creativity, vision, finishing, spatial awareness, dribbling, core strength
Development Areas: weak-foot usage
Arsenal are seeking to close the gap on league leaders Liverpool and pursue their first Premier League title in 21 years, but in order to do so, they’ll have to make do without their attacking talisman Bukayo Saka. The England international will be out until March after undergoing surgery on his hamstring, leaving a gaping hole in Arsenal’s attack.
The Gunners could be inclined to dip into the January transfer window to find a short-term replacement and lessen the burden on Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus in attack. However, they may end up deciding to forego a winter signing and instead give the keys to Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri, who, at 17 years old, is already making a name for himself in the top level of European football.
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Born in London to Nigerian parents, Nwaneri joined Arsenal when he was eight years old. By the time that he was 14, he was already playing for their U-18 side. He began the 2022/23 campaign playing for their U-18s but quickly moved up to the U-21s, and it wasn’t long before his performances caught the attention of Mikel Arteta.
On September 18, 2022, Nwaneri replaced Fábio Vieira in the final minutes of their match vs. Brentford, becoming the youngest player to appear in England’s top-flight at 15 years and 181 days, breaking the record held since August 1964 by Sunderland goalkeeper Derek Forster, and surpassing Cesc Fàbregas as the youngest player to play for Arsenal’s first team. His second appearance would come on February 11, 2024, coming on for the final quarter-hour of their 6-0 win vs. West Ham.
Having scored 10 goals and 3 assists in 13 Premier League 2 appearances in 2023/24, it seemed that Nwaneri was headed for yet another season in Arsenal’s reserve team, but instead, he has quickly become a consistent first-team performer for the Gunners. Having made his North London Derby debut on September 15, he would make his full debut 10 days later, playing the full 90 minutes vs. Bolton Wanderers.
Nwaneri scored a brace in a 5-1 win in the EFL Cup, before following that up with a rocket of a goal from outside the box in the following round vs. Preston. Three weeks later, Nwaneri came on as a late substitute and scored in their 3-0 home win vs. Nottingham Forest, becoming the ninth-youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at 17 years and 247 days old. And whilst he started in each of Arsenal’s three EFL Cup fixtures this season, on January 1, 2025, he made his first start in the Premier League, playing 78 minutes in a 3-1 win vs. Brentford.
He is a phenomenal talent who possesses many attributes, among them efficient finishing. He shoots with minimal backlift, allowing him to get shots off quickly and finishing superbly with either foot. The Englishman’s movement in and around the box is also superb, enabling him to anticipate where the space will be and make subtle runs or changes of direction to arrive on time.
The Hale End graduate has sensational ball manipulation when carrying the ball. A tight turning radius helps him keep the ball glued to his feet, shorten his stride, and take plenty of touches. His smooth ball-carrying skills allow him to effortlessly glide through the pitch and dribble through a sea of opponents. What’s more, his spatial awareness is well ahead of his years.
Out of possession, he scans the pitch to pick up his surroundings, giving him an idea of what to do before he even receives the ball. This is what makes his vision so special: he understands the space around him and where the areas on the pitch are that he can exploit and hurt the defence. He realizes which areas he should drive into with the ball, who’s open in space for a pass, and whether or not it’s worth attempting a shot.
Physicality-wise, Nwaneri has a compact frame with stellar core strength and balance. This makes him strong in duels in the attacking phases of the game, capable of riding challenges and drifting past players. Nwaneri also works hard defensively to come out on top in ground duels, doing his due diligence to help win the ball back.
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If there is one area for improvement, it’s his weak foot usage. Whenever he uses his right foot, he demonstrates glimpses of his ability, but he doesn’t use it enough. If he did, he’d be a lot more unpredictable and even more dangerous in the box and less reliant on certain angles. However, at 17, there’s still plenty of time for him to add this to his game.
The question is — what is Nwaneri’s best position. There’s no right answer: he’s played as a #8, a situational #6, #10, second striker, and center forward for Arsenal’s youth teams, although with Saka out, he will likely be forced to prove himself on the right side of attack. Whenever he’s been in deeper areas of the pitch, he receives the ball on the half-turn and is press resistant from deep, but his ability is wasted here.
In the long term, Nwaneri’s best position is likely to be as a #10/second striker, similar to what we’ve seen from Havertz and Martin Ødegaard. Nwaneri’s finishing would be wasted in a deeper role — as would his creativity & box-entry intelligence if he played as a striker — and as such, a secondary striker role would perhaps be a happy medium.
Nwaneri has the passing ability, intelligence and vision to collect the ball in deep areas and prove instrumental in the build-up play, but he’s also capable of breaking into the box and scoring regularly. In his first season of regular senior football, he’s already racked up 4 goals in 17 appearances, whilst he’s also played in three of Arsenal’s last four league matches and each of their last three UEFA Champions League matches.
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If he can continue developing at this rate, the teenager will certainly be banging on the door for a maiden call-up to the Three Lions. He’s represented England at the U16, U17 and U19 level, scoring 15 goals in 28 appearances for the U17s as well as 6 goals in 9 appearances for the U19s, whilst he’s also played in two editions of the U17 Euros and the U17 World Cup.
Capable of slotting into a number of roles in midfield and attack, dribbling out of pressure, and testing the goalkeeper on a consistent basis, Nwaneri is proving to be a handful for opponents. He’s already made himself into a key squad player for Mikel Arteta’s side, and at 17, it’s seemingly only a matter of time before Thomas Tuchel calls him up for international duty with the England senior team.
By: @Ben_Mattinson_
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Stuart MacFarlane / Arsenal FC