What next for Nwaneri after season of frustration?

4 days ago 2

Ethan Nwaneri had a breakout season last term when the Arsenal forward deputised so impressively for the injured Bukayo Saka.

He played mostly on the right wing and scored nine goals in 37 appearances in all competitions to mark himself out as one of England's most talented young players.

Yet this season, his involvement has been limited.

Nwaneri has made 11 appearances in all competitions, starting just three times across matches in the Carabao Cup and Champions League. He has played just 446 minutes and has scored one goal.

The Gunners spent about £250m bringing in eight players over the summer to increase the depth in their squad, with Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and even the younger Noni Madueke "win now signings".

But those experienced arrivals, and Arsenal's success, have come at a cost to younger members of the squad like Nwaneri, who signed a new five-year deal in the summer as he committed his future to his boyhood club.

Nwaneri's future was under discussion before he signed the contract that will keep him in north London until 2030.

It is understood Nwaneri is fully committed to succeeding at Arsenal and that if there was any chance of him leaving it would have been in the summer during discussions about his contract.

With the January window open and Nwaneri's lack of game time, there has been speculation about whether he will go out on loan.

That is not something being considered by either the club or the player, with the feeling that Nwaneri will learn more by being around a title challenge and training with players such as Saka, Eze and Martin Odegaard than going elsewhere for more minutes.

Nwaneri's taste of regular minutes last season has raised his expectations, but having to fight for game time at a club like Arsenal has not surprised him.

There were discussions about Nwaneri's pathway into the team in the summer as part of the talks to conclude his new contract.

Nwaneri being able to play centrally - his preferred position - and on the right is a boost to his hopes of more action, but the success of £48.5m Madueke and £67m Eze have created a lot of competition for those spots.

Arsenal play nine times in total this month - with fixtures in the Premier League, the FA Cup against Portsmouth and the Champions League - so there is every chance he will get game time in which to shine.

Nwaneri will know he must capitalise on those chances if he is to have more involvement in the second half of the season and the opportunity to develop his undoubted talent.