It has been suggested that Ethan Nwaneri is reluctant to commit to the club unless there is guaranteed game time. Nwaneri, whose current deal expires next summer, enjoyed something of a breakthrough in the 2024/25 campaign, featuring prominently on the right wing during Bukayo Saka’s injury absence.
Heading into the new season, many expected him to continue as the natural deputy for Arsenal’s No. 7. However, there is now a determined push by Arsenal to sign Noni Madueke. It is suggested that, barring an agreement on the transfer fee, the deal is all but sealed.
Should Madueke arrive, he would likely slot in as Saka’s deputy on the right wing. That development could impact Nwaneri’s minutes. For Mikel Arteta, it may now be about promising the young Gunner that he can still play a key role in his team, as the first-choice backup to Martin Ødegaard, and honouring that promise.
The Phil Foden blueprint
Still only 18, Nwaneri can be shown a long-term vision. In five years, Ødegaard will be 31, while he will still be just 23. The message to his camp should be that he could have a clear path as Ødegaard’s understudy. The Arsenal skipper, for all his brilliance, has shown signs of inconsistency, making the need for a reliable alternative clear, and that alternative should be Nwaneri.
As a central midfielder, the young Englishman could receive ample game time next season, with a clear path to eventually replacing Ødegaard.
Phil Foden’s development at Manchester City can serve as a blueprint for the Arsenal No. 22. Despite clear signs he could perform well above his years, Foden had to bide his time, deputising for the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva before cementing his spot in Pep Guardiola’s team.
Here is how his Premier League minutes evolved:
Foden at 22 – 2,134
Foden at 21 – 1,614
Foden at 20 – 893
Foden at 19 – 329
Foden at 18 – 44
Nwaneri’s central midfield ambition
There have already been hints that Nwaneri is being considered for a central role ahead of the 2025/26 season.
The player himself, who played centrally at youth level, recently admitted it is where he is more comfortable via The Athletic:
“You can see sometimes I’m a natural midfielder, but I think if the manager wants you to play in a position, you have to do it to the best of your abilities.
“I don’t mind playing there because anywhere for the Arsenal first team, I’ll be happy playing, and trying to do a good job for the team. I’ve played a false nine before a few times, actually. I think I can do a role anywhere that the manager needs me.”
There have been suggestions that Arteta views the teen prodigy as a central midfield option.
So, while Eberechi Eze could take up the left central midfield role and Madueke the right wing, Nwaneri should still be guaranteed meaningful minutes at right central midfield, and everyone would be happy.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments Gooners.
Daniel O
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Maybe Nwaneri has been watching what’s happened to Foden at Man City
Foden has been waiting for years to succeed De Bruyne and Silva, yet Guardiola brought very strong competitors in Cherki, Reijnders and Echeverri
Bobb, McAtee and O’Reilly have also emerged from the academy to make the internal competition of Man City’s central midfield positions worse for Foden
Yes but foden has never been quite consistent enough – when he’s good he’s in the team, he only loses out when he’s not playing well from what I can tell
He does a great saka impression when played out wide and deserves a lot of credit for that because he really is a central midfielder. I do think he’s the total package in terms of skill, intelligence and a tough, winner’s mentality with hints of a leader showing at times, so imo we really do need to keep him.
Re odegaard – it’s not just his age, he’s nowhere near de Bruyne as a player and it shouldn’t be seen as he’s first choice until he ages out. I do think nwaneri can become the superior player relatively quickly. I suppose if I were nwaneri, I might be concerned that odegaard would remain the starter even if it’s become clear EN has pulled ahead. If we can keep nwaneri here, the time will come where arteta will have to be extremely ruthless with a player he understandably likes a lot – imo that’s an issue arteta needs to be clear on. If/when nwaneri overtakes odegaard in terms of ability and output, he will make the necessary change. No room for sentimentality.
I suspect that was Martinez’ concern before he left – I suspect he was worried that leno would just take his spot, regardless of how well Martinez was doing. Whether that would have been a justified concern, I don’t know – EM had spent a long time in the wilderness and was at the last chance stage for his career, so it maybe was understandable if it was paranoia, especially if communication was poor (no idea if it was).
One thing I like about Arteta is the fact that he doesn’t compromise keeping players that would destrupt the dressing room. Martinez had been at Arsenal since the days of Wenger without minutes. It was his outing under Arteta that brought him out and he wasn’t ready to fight for his place with patience. As much as I rate him, I was happy he left and it worked out for him, but we are also better now than when he was with us. If he’s not willing to wait for his turn, he should chart with Chido and the other boy that left for Man.U. Last summer
Martinez was not disrupting the dressing room and was ready to fight for his place. Based on performance, he should be fighting to keep his place as number 1, while Leno try to regain his spot.
Not giving Martinez the number 1 spot, sent a clear message that MA still doubted his ability. It must have hurt to see Leno just waltz back in ahead of him by default
The idea with guaranteed playtime is just ridicules. Is the player seriously saying, “I should not have to compete to be on the pitch”. If he (anyone) is that good, he will show that in training. If he can’t perform at the highest level, in a way that suits the teams system, well then you are not the best option for the team. To have a guarantee clause allowing a worse player to be on the pitch is completely wrong.
Right on the spot, Mr Dan. There is no argument; Nwaneri is one for the future; Mikel must make sure that he is not lost to our rivals like Obi Martins, who went to the wilderness of Manchester United.
It makes every sense keeping your home-grown talents; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been necessary having the academy in the first place. Arsenal is not a selling club.
Everyone knows that Nwaneri is better in the middle. He was just unlucky last season that Odegaard’s injury coincided with Saka’s. This is exactly why we’re looking for bespoke backup for Saka.
Nwaneri will not be at Arsenal next season
And you know this because ………
Ethan should be kept at all cost. He’s requested for guaranteed game time, and in my opinion he deserves it. I’d be so disgusted if the club decides to moving him on. I see him as a winger though, just his half turn ability makes him appear a midfielder, but overall he’s more of a player out wide. IMHO
“Guaranteed minutes” is not really worth an argument. It’s a pretty easy thing to agree on – as opposed to “guaranteed starts”.
Ethan is clearly good enough to fill in for Ødegaard for 500 minutes over the course of a season. It would benefit everyone.
Exactly! Fans seems to be mistaken playing minutes from guaranteed starts.
The problem is with the coach. There was no reason for him to be giving Sterling game time when EN is on the bench. The truth is that players don’t improve sitting on the bench. I bet that Arteta has a way with age. Send him to Barcelona and he will bench all the teens, except he doesn’t have any elderly alternatives.
Yes, but it seems a little foolish to have got Sterling in on loan and not to use him if/when Arteta thought there was an opportunity. OK, in the end it clearly didn’t work out, but he deserved a chance, I think.
Exactly. Realistically Arteta’s hand was kind of forced with Sterling. With a bit more luck it might have turned out better, but had he benched Sterling for the whole loan there would have been bigger questions raised.
Nwaneri was always seen as a stop gap solution there, and it worked much better obviously, but he’s still very young and his form dropped once he’d been played too much. He’s still developing, *overplaying* him now is not the right thing to do.
How did you get the appointment of Gabriel Heinze as assistant coach? The 4th Gabriel in this Arsenal team. In the dugout Mikel is now flanked by Gabriel with the other assistant Stuivenberg also from Man Utd. Maybe Heinze is esp for the defenders.
For me Nwaneri is blackmailing Arsenal to finally be a free agent like Trent. This way on the long run discourages clubs to invest on the academy and focus more on buying than manufacturing. Even for England U21 he’s a sub who usually comes off the bench in the dying minutes. Nwaneri really needs someone at Arsenal who sternly tells him he’s still Nwaneri not even Omari whom he replaces in the U21s matches. If Nwaneri leaves he’s only good for promoted teams as in the case of Omari who left Arsenal only to go down to Championship. Conceit comes before fall.
A bit harsh there Ambachew. So it’s all Nwaneri’s fault for not being a patient little boy and fully respecting his manager’s long term strategy. My own hypothesis though is that possibly word is out amongst younger players that Arteta prefers a finished product and chances will be limited. Also will be proven very wrong should Nwaneri leave. He will definitely succeed at a big club surrounded by class players ( not Odegaard) and playing in his correct position.
Well he should simply play better if he wants to make those demands
Agree Dan, that making “demands”, without anything to show for it is dumb. But did he really do that. Also why was he expected to be Saka last season when after his return even Saka couldn’t be Saka. Odegaard s or his manager’s one dimensional approach of simply passing across to a heavily marked right winger and expecting the player to consistently take on and beat defenders was not working.
This kind of discussion shouldn’t even see the daylight coz we have the smallest squad compared to city,pool ,chelshit etc so why is it hard to keep nwaneri to deputise or usurp either odegard and saka coz I’m sure we are not getting more than a striker and a winger so all those dreaming we’ll sign gyokeres, eze, madueke should start waking up😊
And even if we sign those 3 players, we still do not have the biggest squad.
But honestly I am not a fan of the way arteta managed nwaneri last season, we had a very depleted team, odegaard was trash most time yet nwaneri is not getting game time. It makes no sense
Yeah Dan! We should always remember this Arsenal team must and must win trophies by hook or by crook. It’s a matter of staying or leaving for Arteta. No one will give one more year to Arteta if he fails this season. Nwaneri should understand the gravity of the contemporary situation. Everybody is fed up of ending the season trophyless empty handed. Arsenal helped Nwaneri so it’s high time for Nwaneri to respect and help Arsenal by showing manners of gratefullness and refrain from rush decisions. He’ll not be a 28 years old if he stays patiently and peacefully one more year at Arsenal
That is Arteta’s problem not Nwaneri’s. The situations mostly created by Arteta by bringing average players like Havertz on high fee and wages and instead of getting proper Striker. All these academy players observe how Arteta not give them chances even there are ample opportunity. Example : Butlet Odeyji was on Bench for most of the season but still did not play a single minute in any competition when Arsenal was attacking players short. Arteta played Smith Rowe, Martinelli etc. Only after all his chelsea players were not performed for half a season. We are lucky Saliba is here after all how Arteta handled him.