Ethan Nwaneri became the Premier League's youngest-ever player in September when he made his Gunners debut
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chelsea and Manchester City are reportedly ready to try and pinch 15-year-old starlet Ethan Nwaneri from Arsenal this summer.
The attacking midfielder made history in September by becoming the youngest Premier League player ever when he made a substitute appearance against Brentford aged 15 years and 181 days.
There's a lot of excitement about what the future holds for the youngster, but where his senior career will be launched remains to be seen.
Nwaneri made his Arsenal debut aged just 15 (Image credit: Getty Images)
According to a report in The Telegraph, Arsenal risk losing Nwaneri to one of their ‘Big Six’ Premier League rivals.
Chelsea and City are interested in the youngster and the Gunners are now focusing on trying to convince him to stay at the Emirates.
Nwaneri turns 16 next week, at which point he will be able to agree a scholarship deal, but he can’t sign a professional contract until his 17th birthday in March 2024.
The left-footed attacking midfielder is regarded as one of the most exciting talents in the country, with three goals in nine England Under-17 caps to his name.
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His cameo appearance against Brentford came as something of a surprise, being his only opportunity with Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad this season.
He came on in the 92nd minute of a 3-0 away win over the Bees, replacing Fabio Vieira to achieve the historic landmark.
Nwaneri has also made six appearances for Arsenal’s U21s this season, providing one assist, and he has scored four goals and created another three for the U18s in 11 games.
Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.
