everyone bows down to 17 year old phenom Ethan Nwaneri

A great evening for the Gunners. This Wednesday evening, Mikel Arteta’s men started the year 2025 in the best possible way with a convincing victory against Brentford (3-1). If the first half was a little more sluggish, the Gunners were able to turn the situation around and make the match easy in the second half. A precious success in which Ethan Nwaneri seduced his world. A young Arsenal prodigy who was launched by Mikel Arteta in 2022 at just 15 years old, the attacking midfielder continued his progression until becoming a full member of the London squad this season.

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The left-hander has made 17 appearances for 4 goals already and he especially shone in the Carabao Cup. Recent performances at the right winger position combined with Bukayo Saka’s long injury – he is not expected on the field before March – which allowed him to start in a starting role this Wednesday against Brentford. Moreover, no one is mistaken about the talent of the prodigy like Gabriel Jesus who compared him to two of the best players in the Premier League: “I’ve seen people like Phil Foden and Cole Palmer waiting for his chance and now look at Phil. He is one of the best players in the world. I really wish Ethan could keep his feet on the ground, work, and then it’s a matter of time for him to shine.» And against the Bees, Ethan Nwaneri confirmed the words of his Brazilian teammate.

Ethan Nwaneri has bluffed his world

Impacting on his right wing where he brought incessant danger, Ethan Nwaneri provoked Gabriel Martinelli’s goal in the second half with a cross poorly cleared by Nathan Collins. A solid performance which was acclaimed by the English press. For le Daily Express who credited him with a 6/10, it was a convincing first start for Ethan Nwaneri: “Nwaneri looked extremely competent in his first Premier League start, on the same pitch where he became the youngest player in the league’s history two-and-a-half years ago. There weren’t any particular flashes, but it was a pretty solid performance from the 17-year-old.»

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L’Evening Standard was also complimentary with a 7/10: “he started for the first time in his career in the Premier League and looked good. He was involved in Arsenal’s second and third goals. It’s scary when you know he’s only 17.» Pour The Sunthe comparison with Bukayo Saka is clearly too early, but the English media appreciated the sharpness of the young player who received a rating of 7/10: “he has struggled to make any real impact in open play, given the impossible task of replicating what Saka does on the right wing. However, two passes into the box resulted in two goals and three points.»

In addition to the press, his coach Mikel Arteta was also won over and knows that the young attacking midfielder will be valuable in this second half of the season: “we had a little problem (with the virus which affected Kai Havertz editor’s note) and the team is still performing well and we had a 17 year old player (Nwaneri editor’s note) in this starting lineup and it’s great to see how he played with this courage and determination. At that position, it wasn’t because of the virus, but because he was the best player at that position to start the game. He made his debut here and today he made his first Premier League start. Sometimes that feeling comes and you feel like it’s the right one.» The future looks bright for Arsenal and Ethan Nwaneri.