Joe McConnell
Ethan Nwaneri
Team: Arsenal
Age: 17
Role: Attacking midfielder
Country: England
Ethan Nwaneri, the Premier League’s youngest ever player, could finally get the chance to truly make his mark on the division.
His appearance off the bench at Brentford in 2022, aged 15 years and 181 days while still a schoolboy, means he is part of Championship history, but Nwaneri hopes his legacy doesn’t stop there.
Mikel Arteta has been criticised for the limited opportunities he has given to academy players since Arsenal became title contenders, although Nwaneri looks the most likely to reverse that trend.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, part of the same cohort as Nwaneri, was a tough omission from this list. The 17-year-old is comfortable playing anywhere in midfield and has shone over the summer.
Nwaneri is struggling with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice for minutes in those advanced midfield roles, but has shown in pre-season that he can be a valuable asset for Arsenal this season, although he will likely start on the bench.
Arteta praised Nwaneri’s unique ability to get out of seemingly impossible spaces, comparing him to Jack Wilshere, who was his academy coach at Arsenal.
Arsenal have held off competition from Chelsea and Manchester City to keep Nwaneri at Arsenal, but Arteta will have to push hard to secure minutes for the 17-year-old this season or risk losing another Hale End product.
If Nwaneri can deliver on his promise, Arsenal could find themselves with another talent on their hands.
