A weekend with no game - as seems common our game against Crystal Palace is moved to a weekday, with it being Monday night. Could be worse, poor little Luton Town don't have another weekend match until after the international break, welcome back to the top flight!!
Anyway, I digress. Last night Arsenal u21s smashed their Leicester counterparts, and it was a young lad 5 years below the age group who took the plaudits. Ethan Nwaneri hit a hat-trick, to add to his man of the match performance in the opener against West Ham last week.
He is the youngest ever player to appear in the Premier League, after his late sub appearance against Brentford last season, and on current form it shouldn't be long until he has more significant game time.
Last season didn't end particularly well for Nwaneri. He wasn't at his best in the business end of the season, with poor showings in the Youth Cup semi final and final. At the time his future was very much in the air, with many other big clubs trying to prise him away. It would be fair to say, at just 15, the season caught up with him as well with the added pressure and hype.
However, with his future committed to Arsenal and a pre-season partially with the first team, Nwaneri has started this season in great form.
Arteta has been reluctant to blood academy players, with Balogun, Patino and Hein the only to get any real time on the pitch in the Arsenal first team. However, mitigating circumstances such as the first team being the youngest around, could be argued. And such is the potential of Nwaneri, at this stage of his career it looks inevitable he will break into the first team squad sooner or later.
His best position still hasn't been determined, yesterday he was in midfield but he has played a lot as a wide attacker and the main forward during his development. The Odegaard/Havertz roles may be the aim now.
His fellow 16 year old, Myles Lewis Skelly, is another to look out for. The likes of Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Amario Cozier Duberry and Marcelo Flores may already be thinking similar to Patino, in that they may not get their chance at Arsenal. But for Nwaneri it looks a very different story.
Will we see Nwaneri in the first team this season? Time will tell.
Ethan Nwaneri
posted on 19/8/23
comment by Son Of Gunnersaurus a.k.a SoG (U1310)
posted 3 minutes ago
Luton are away to chelsea next Saturday
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Someone better tell Sky, because they are showing it Friday night.
posted on 19/8/23
comment by D'Jeezus Mackaroni (U1137)
posted 16 minutes ago
comment by Son Of Gunnersaurus a.k.a SoG (U1310)
posted 3 minutes ago
Luton are away to chelsea next Saturday
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Someone better tell Sky, because they are showing it Friday night.
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Oh hang on im on Phillipine time. It’s saturday 3:00AM over here so i stand corrected
posted on 19/8/23
Arsenal needs to be cautious. Ethan is already too good for the U18 and being promoted to the U21. Need to develop there and playing on a consistent level.
Not a friend of promoting a 16 year old boy too early.
posted on 19/8/23
ACD is already training with the 1st team, i was thinking they may want to use him as a RW backup instead of buying someone
I think
posted on 19/8/23
comment by Passion Power - Make 1984 fiction again (U8398)
posted 15 minutes ago
ACD is already training with the 1st team, i was thinking they may want to use him as a RW backup instead of buying someone
I think
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Kids always train with the first team, doesn't mean a thing usually. Last week it was Marcelo Flores.
posted on 19/8/23
The impression I get reading Arsenal blogs is Reuell Walters is the next Academy kid closest to first team involvement.
Like Gt, I hope they don't (and don't think they will) rush Nwaneri too much at this stage.
Great he seems to be finding good form again though.
posted on 19/8/23
Yeah, Nwaneri and Lewis Skelly seem to be the next big things from the academy. We seem pretty stocked in that area though, so will need some big sales in the next few years if they're to make it.
There's a good documentary on arsenals YouTube channel detailing wilshere and how he he coached then last season. Worth a watch if you have time.
posted on 19/8/23
I believe if you are good enough, you are ready. Cesc was, and I don't see why Ethan Nwaneri should be held back. I assume he stayed on at Arsenal because he was given those assurances. I think he could be on par with Saka as long as he has his head screwed on straight.
posted on 19/8/23
What's Rosiak like?
posted on 19/8/23
comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 5 hours, 50 minutes ago
Yeah, Nwaneri and Lewis Skelly seem to be the next big things from the academy. We seem pretty stocked in that area though, so will need some big sales in the next few years if they're to make it.
There's a good documentary on arsenals YouTube channel detailing wilshere and how he he coached then last season. Worth a watch if you have time.
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It's really cool, even though I knew they got to the final, those games were stressful to watch but lovely