Arsenal have plenty to do this summer - but Ethan Nwaneri has at least solved one problem for them.
For years, the Gunners have been looking for someone to provide competition and cover for Bukayo Saka. In Nwaneri, it would appear they have the answer and the teenager continued his remarkable breakout campaign on Sunday by finding the net against Ipswich.
Nwaneri has now scored nine goals this season and five of those have come since his move to the right wing at the start of January. It is a new role for the 18-year-old, who predominantly played as an attacking midfielder when coming through Arsenal’s academy, but he relished the challenge of stepping up while Saka was out injured.
“Me, naturally, I’ve always been a No10,” said Nwaneri. “I’ve played as a No10 my whole life. But again, I can play striker as well. Right wing is a new one for me, but now I’ve liked the challenge of a new position. It’s been tough adapting to a new position, but that’s part of football.
This is what I’ve envisioned in my head, this is what I wanted to do
“If the manager asks you to play somewhere else, you have to do it to the highest level. It’s been hard, it’s been up and down, but I’ve enjoyed it. I can play anywhere the team needs me.”
The records have tumbled for Nwaneri this season, who originally began it playing as a right No8 in Arsenal’s midfield. Before his 18th birthday last month, he had scored eight goals and no player in Arsenal’s history has managed more for the men’s first-team before that landmark.
Nwaneri has even shone in the Champions League and last month became the third youngest scorer in the Champions League knockout stages. He also found the net in successive Champions League games against Girona and PSV Eindhoven, becoming the youngest player to achieve such a feat.
“This is what I’ve envisioned in my head, this is what I wanted to do,” said Nwaneri. “So, it’s no surprise I’ve achieved it.
“I wouldn’t say I was nervous [when I joined the first-team squad], but I’d say there was a different pressure that I was feeling. I think I saw that was a good thing, that it shows that I care, that I’m feeling these things.”
Nwaneri has praised the role of Arsenal’s senior players in helping him make the step up, in particular Declan Rice and Saka.
The teenager says the pair treat young players who make the jump to the first team “like men” and he has appreciated their words of wisdom.
“They help us out, they keep us grounded, they lift us up when we need it as well,” said Nwaneri. “They’ve been brilliant with us.
“It’s just personal stuff and how they dealt with when they were first coming up, and how they dealt with the pressure, and maybe when they didn’t play well, or when they did do well, and just managing that.
“They’ve treated us well, like we’re part of the team, so that’s just how we feel now. That’s testament to the way that the players treat us.”
There has been huge excitement at Arsenal around Nwaneri for years and that has only grown over the course of this season. Mikel Arteta believes he could end up playing as a striker, which is easy to see given the teenager’s eye for goal.
Nwaneri has also excelled in midfield and, as well as being competition and cover for Saka, he can be the same for Martin Odegaard. And the 18-year-old has done it all alongside his best friend, Myles Lewis-Skelly, which has made this season even more special.
The pair have been friends since joining Arsenal together at the age of eight and now they are shining in the first team together. Nwaneri believes that is no coincidence and says that the duo have driven each other on throughout their careers.
“That’s what we’ve been doing since young,” he said. “One person will start playing up [an age group], then the next will start playing up, one person will start scoring, then the next will start scoring. That’s just how me and him work.
“It’s not competitive, but we kind of raise each other’s standards, and that’s so good to have as a friend. Me and him, we talk every second of every day. We’re always just talking about everything. We look back on the old times, we look into the future, it’s everything.
“This is what we spoke about since young, breaking in the team together. We’ve just had our eyes on that vision and the fact that we’ve been able to do it, it’s amazing.”
