Arsenal reportedly expect a handful of Premier League clubs to make approaches over 18-year-old midfielder Ethan Nwaneri when the January transfer window opens.
After becoming the youngest player in competition history when he made his debut in September 2022 at the age of 15 years and 181 days, Nwaneri established himself as a regular part of the rotation under Arteta and made a total of 37 appearances across all competitions last season and was rewarded with a new long-term contract, but that role has been drastically reduced this year.
Having seen Arsenal’s forward line bolstered with the arrivals of Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres during the summer, Nwaneri has not started a Premier League game this season and has just 19 minutes to his name during the month of December. His time on the first-team bench means Nwaneri has not featured for the club’s academy during this period either.
Predictably, Nwaneri’s reduced role has led to plenty of speculation surrounding a player who is known to be of interest to a number of Europe’s elite sides. Chelsea were chasing his signature before his contract extension and plenty of other teams were touted as suitors.
According to The Times, Arsenal are well aware that conversations over Nwaneri’s future are likely to be had during January.
A number of Premier League sides are expected to contact Arsenal over a potential loan deal for Nwaneri, while The Athletic note 19-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly could face interest of his own after falling into a similar battle for minutes.
Arteta Yet to Decide on January Exits
Arsenal’s stance over the futures of both Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are not yet clear but are easy to predict. The pair, among the most exciting English talents of the past decade, both signed new five-year contracts during the summer as a sign of the club’s long-term commitments to them.
In the here-and-now, however, many fans have argued Nwaneri, in particular, would benefit from a loan exit—especially as Arteta has made it clear he is interested in signing even more players once the January transfer window opens.
Asked whether Arteta would be open to offloading players this winter, the boss insisted: “We assess every situation. I leave that much more to Andrea [Berta, sporting director] to understand what’s happening in the market.
“Then individual players, obviously, we have to assess where we are with each of them and get the best situation.”
Arteta has repeatedly stressed his desire to keep a deep squad full of rotation options, particularly during the final few months of the season as fatigue begins to become a major issue, but may make his final decision on Nwaneri after talks with the teenager.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal ‘Expect’ January Interest in Record-Breaking Midfielder.
