Arsenal are facing a fight to keep record-breaking youngster Ethan Nwaneri at the Emirates, with both Manchester City and Chelsea hoping to poach the youngster.
Nwaneri made history last season when he became the youngest player in Premier League history, with Mikel Arteta handing him his debut at the age of just 15 years and 181 days in a 3-0 win over Brentford in September. The midfielder broke a record held by Liverpool starlet Harvey Elliott, who made his Premier League debut for Fulham back in 2019 when he was 16 years and 30 days old.
However, nine months on from Nwaneri's debut, Arsenal are in danger of losing him with the Gunners having until Friday (June 27) to agree terms on a new scholarship deal. The teenager's schoolboy deal is due to expire at that point and the Evening Standard claim that Arsenal are facing competition from City and Chelsea.
The report states that Arsenal have made an 'attractive offer' to Nwaneri, with Arteta, sporting director Edu and academy chief Per Mertesacker all involved in contract talks. They are also said to have mapped out a pathway for Nwaneri to become a first-team regular.
Should the youngster opt to leave Arsenal they will be entitled to compensation, with the fact he has already made a Premier League appearance likely to earn them a higher fee. Following his record-breaking debut, Arteta spoke highly of Nwaneri's potential, stating: "We have the opportunities to bring young players on.
"We are pretty short and opportunities come when issues arise. It was a pure gut feeling. I met the boy, I really liked what I saw. He trained with us a couple of times. I had that feeling yesterday that if the opportunity could come, I would do it.
"He deserves it. He has been doing great. He is such a big talent we want to keep with us. I'm really pleased." Arsenal's former under-18s boss Dan Micciche, who has since been replaced by Jack Wilshere, hailed Nwaneri's "champion mentality" last February.
"He's someone very highly thought of here as there are other boys at Hale End as well," Micciche said. "We have Omari Benjamin and Brian [Okonkwo] with us. Particularly at this stage of the season you want to start to integrate those boys more.
"Ethan and Omari in particular have both played international football of late, they can play the year up internationally. What's great about these boys is that their feet is firmly on the ground, they trained with us yesterday, excellent application and we trust them.
"I trusted him to perform today and he got two assists. Knowing him he will leave here disappointed that he has not scored a goal or he's misplaced a few passes because he's got that champion mentality. Really pleased for him."
