Ethan Nwaneri: Inside the rise of Arsenal’s star-in-waiting

Arteta’s influence, Odegaard’s inspiration

Nwaneri was shaped during those years spent splitting his time between school and Arsenal’s academy, where his 15-year-old brother, Emerson, is also enrolled. But Arteta’s role in his rise to prominence has been significant too.

Although he claimed the decision to hand Nwaneri his Premier League bow aged 15 in 2022 was motivated by “gut instinct” at the time, in reality it was more calculated, an attempt to show the club’s most prodigiously talented young player a pathway to the first-team.

Arteta had, after all, been aware of Nwaneri’s talents since his very first week in the job three years earlier, when he sought out Micciche, one of his coaches at the time, to quiz him on a player already turning heads aged 12 at Hale End, and asking for a video to be sent to him.

Arteta followed his progress closely from that point on and was actively involved in the club’s efforts to secure his future at the club, sitting in on meetings with Nwaneri’s family alongside Edu, Arsenal’s now departed sporting director, and academy personnel.

“Retaining Ethan was not a foregone conclusion,” says Micciche. “I don’t mean he threatened to leave or anything like that, I just mean it was common knowledge that this boy was special. He could have gone anywhere in Europe.

“There’s no doubt other big clubs in England were well aware of him because Arsenal never hid him and he always performed well against them. It helped that Mikel was so involved, also having him train with the first-team very early and taking him on pre-season tours.”

Nwaneri eventually formalised his commitment to Arsenal, despite interest from elsewhere, by signing his first professional contract after his 17th birthday in March and soon became a fully-fledged member of the senior squad.

Arteta has marvelled at his bravery and personality – “you can tell he plays without pressure and with confidence,” he said earlier this season – but there has also been a focus on improving his defensive work, and honing his understanding of the complex off-the-ball demands of the Spaniard’s system.

Nwaneri has taken the task with characteristic willingness, helped by the fact he counts club captain Martin Odegaard as a role model and mentor. The Norwegian stands out for his off-the-ball intelligence as well as his attacking qualities. His guidance, as a player who also made his professional debut aged 15, has been invaluable.

“You have to remember Ethan is obsessed with football,” says Micciche. “He has always learned a lot from watching his role models and that has been accelerated by training with the first team every day.”

Nwaneri’s future now looks brighter with every appearance. He almost followed his first Premier League goal with one in the Champions League during his latest cameo, against Sporting on Tuesday night.

His rapid progress is no surprise to his former coaches.

“I was fortunate to coach Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho and Cole Palmer in England’s youth teams,” says Micciche. “For me, Ethan is in that tier.

“When he was 13 or 14, I would say to people at Arsenal that he was at the level of those players, if not more advanced.”

The comparison with Foden is particularly interesting given that, at 17, Nwaneri has already made more Premier League appearances than the Manchester City forward had at 18.

He is ahead of fellow academy graduate Bukayo Saka for appearances at the same age too, which is all the more impressive considering the level at which Arsenal are now competing.

When Saka emerged, they were scrapping for top-four finishes. It is far tougher for a young player to make his mark in a team challenging for major honours but that is exactly what Nwaneri is doing.

“At the age he is, playing for a club as big as Arsenal and being on the pitch and having an impact, there’s no doubt Ethan has the chance to become a regular starter and a key player, in the mould of Bukayo,” says Micciche. “He has all the attributes and, as you’re seeing, he is not fazed by anything.

“What I love most about him is that his feet do the talking for him. He goes about his business quietly. He’s very humble, very focused and very driven. He’s an absolute pleasure to work with.”

And this is just the start. Ethan Nwaneri is Next Up.

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