After much speculation amid interest from Manchester City and Chelsea, Ethan Nwaneri elected to stay at Arsenal, with the highly rated midfielder signing a scholarship deal with the Gunners which will lead to him turning professional when he is 17.
It is excellent news that Arsenal have managed to retain the services of such a talented player, but what will the upcoming campaign look like for Nwaneri in terms of the opportunities he will be given?
Firstly, very rarely for a first-year scholar he (along with fellow midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly) already possesses a considerable amount of experience of U21 football. Nwaneri is still eligible to represent the U18s this season and he could play some games at that level in the FA Youth Cup but it is anticipated that he will mainly be involved with the U21s.
Although he has had some encouraging moments for the U21s, such as an assist on his debut against Blackburn Rovers, Nwaneri, understandably given his age, has still yet to dominate games at that level on a consistent basis and his first objective will be to establish himself as a regular starter in the number ten position for the U21s and become a key hub of creativity.
The next aim for Nwaneri will be further involvement with the first-team squad. He has already trained with the senior group in the early stages of pre-season and will hope to be involved in the friendly against Nurnberg and perhaps beyond.
Nwaneri will be looking to add further competitive appearances to his historic debut against Brentford and those chances could perhaps come in the Carabao Cup. He may have to be somewhat patient for frequent call-ups to the senior squad but he will certainly be on the periphery of the squad ready to take any opportunities that come his way.
In addition, Nwaneri will also be looking to make progress on the international stage. Having scored eight goals in 17 appearances while playing above his age group for England U17s, involvement with the U18s is the next aim as far as the Three Lions are concerned.
At club level the EFL Trophy, a competition he has already had some involvement in, should be hugely beneficial for Nwaneri’s development as he will get the chance to test himself against senior players.
In addition, he should be heavily involved in Arsenal’s return to the UEFA Youth League, which is another fantastic competition for development.
Overall, Nwaneri is likely to get game time in a variety of youth competitions and will be looking to become a more rounded player as well as avoiding his tendency to drift out of matches at times.
Patience will be required but the 16-year-old has a lot of quality and it will be intriguing to see how much progress he can make this season.
—
Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird
We need Jeorge back on the pod, Blogs. Feels like ages since he was last on.
All in favour of a monthly “youth watch” podcast, say aye.
Or hit the thumbs up thingy. Your call.
*Just realised how predatory “youth watch” sounds. We can workshop the title.
“Eyes on the kids”?
Hot young arses?
So, that’s 15 yes’s and an obligatory ‘I hate everything you say Johnny’.
I think we have a consensus.
This is a great idea. I’d love more regular youth updates, especially in fallow times like transfer windows
Fallow times?!
You’re not doing the transfer window right 😅
He needs to go out on loan in England to team that can offer him first team opportunitys.
Bro he still on scholarships