Official! Arsenal successfully secures signing of young prodigy

Ethan Nwaneri signs first professional contract

Ethan Nwaneri has signed his first professional contract with us.

Our England youth international joined us in May 2015 and has developed through our academy, being a vital player in all our age categories ever since.

The 17-year-old midfielder has made 14 appearances in all competitions across our academy this season, scoring 14 goals in the process. Ethan has also continued his development into first-team football this season, featuring as a substitute in our 6-0 Premier League victory at West Ham United in February 2024.

Ethan made history in September 2022 when aged 15 years and 181 days he became the youngest player to ever feature in an English top-flight match, and the youngest player ever to represent our men’s first-team when he came on in our 3-0 win at Brentford.

Academy Manager Per Mertesacker said: “We are extremely proud of Ethan and his journey, from pre-academy to Hale End, then a seamless transition to Sobha Realty Training Centre and then making his first team debut. Ethan’s journey now continues, and we will all be there alongside him to support his development.

“Ethan has a strong ability to master the ball, dominate possession and is really effective in the final third, which fits into our playing style at Arsenal Football Club. He is someone that will thrive on and off the pitch as a Strong Young Gunner and we look forward to working with him during his ongoing development in the years to come.”

Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Ethan on signing his first professional contract and we look forward to seeing his continued development.

‘Bring Ethan in!’ – Mikel Arteta admits he was pressured into handing 16-year-old wonderkid Nwaneri his first appearance of the season with Arsenal six goals in front at West Ham

After their 6-0 victory over West Ham, Mikel Arteta disclosed that his Arsenal players pressure him into bringing on 16-year-old Ethan Nwaneri.

Nwaneri makes season debut for Arsenal
Arteta reveals the reason for bringing him on
Arsenal win 6-0 at West Ham

WHAT HAPPENED?

As Arsenal produced one of their best performances this season, Nwaneri made his first senior appearance of the season as he came off the bench in the 77th minute for Gabriel Martinelli. Arteta revealed after the game that he wasn’t planning on bringing the youngster on, but changed his mind because his team-mates on the bench wanted to see Nwaneri on the field.

WHAT ARTETA SAID

Talking to the media, Arteta said: “There is something that you have to earn in your team and that is the trust of your team-mates. I had two things. One, the players on the bench whispering ‘Bring Ethan in!’, which is a great thing to hear. The other thing is for your teammates to give you the ball all the time. If they do that, it’s because they really trust you and you only have to see how many times he was involved in that. So it’s a great sign.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

In 2022, Nwaneri made headlines when he came off the bench to make his Premier League debut against Brentford at the age of 15 years and 181 days. He became the youngest-ever player to play in the Premier League. Even though Nwaneri has since been in the first team picture for training and matchday squads, Arsenal supporters hadn’t seen him play in the first team since that day. On Sunday, Nwaneri finally made his second Premier League appearance, entering the game with 13 minutes of regular time left to play.

WHAT NEXT FOR NWANERI?

It is obvious that Nwaneri has the trust and confidence of his team-mates , however, it remains to be seen if Arteta will be willing to give the youngster more responsibilities as Arsenal draw towards a tight title fight. The Gunners will next be in action when they take on Burnley on February 17.