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Ethan Nwaneri

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Ethan Nwaneri
Personal information
Full name Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri
Date of birth (2007-03-21) 21 March 2007 (age 17)
Place of birth London, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.79 m)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Arsenal
Number 63
Youth career
2016– Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022– Arsenal 1 (0)
International career‡
2022 England U16 6 (1)
2022– England U17 19 (9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:39, 18 September 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:57, 17 November 2023 (UTC)

Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri (born 21 March 2007) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal.

Nwaneri made his Premier League debut against Brentford in September 2022, becoming the youngest ever Arsenal player, and the youngest player to appear in the top flight of English football aged just 15.[2][3]

Early life

Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri was born on 21 March 2007 in London, England, and attends St John's Senior School in Enfield.[1][4] He is of Nigerian descent.[5]

Career

Nwaneri joined Arsenal at nine years-old. By the age of 14, he was already playing for their under-18 side. Predominantly, he plays as a midfielder.[6]

Nwaneri started the 2022–23 season playing for Arsenal under-18s, but he was quickly advanced to the club's under-21 side.[7] Having made a sole appearance in the 2022–23 Premier League 2, he joined the first team for training in September,[8] and made his first senior matchday squad on 18 September when he was named as a substitute for the Premier League match against Brentford.[9] Coming off the bench to replace Fábio Vieira in second-half stoppage time, he became the youngest player to ever appear in the Premier League – breaking the record previously held by Harvey Elliott,[10][11] and the all-time English top-flight record held since August 1964 by former Sunderland goalkeeper Derek Forster, by three days.[3][12] He also became Arsenal's youngest-ever player in any competition, breaking the previous record of 16 years and 177 days, set by Cesc Fàbregas in the 2003–04 League Cup.[12][13] In the post-match press conference, manager Mikel Arteta explained that they had to name Nwaneri and two other under-21 players on the bench because the first team had several injuries, especially the injury of midfielder and captain Martin Ødegaard, and a "gut feeling" was behind his decision to send Nwaneri on.[9][14][4]

In June 2023, with his schoolboy terms ending, Nwaneri agreed to a new deal with Arsenal on scholarship terms with an agreement for a professional contract upon his seventeenth birthday in March 2024.[15]

Ethan Nwaneri warms up before the match against Switzerland

International career

After starring in qualifying, Nwaneri was named in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship on 17 May 2023.[16] He scored the winner in the opening match against Croatia at Balmazújvárosi Városi Sportpálya.[17]

On 2 November 2023, Nwaneri was included in the England squad for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[18]

Style of play

Nwaneri has been labelled as a player who can operate as a "number 10" but can play every attacking position, with an innate capacity to receive and dribble with the ball at his feet while also contributing defensively. He is comfortable in both wide and central roles.[19]

Career statistics

As of match played 22 August 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal U21 2022−23[20] — — — — — 2[a] 0 2 0
2023–24[21] — — — — — 1[a] 0 1 0
Total — — — — 3 0 3 0
Arsenal 2022–23[20] Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2023–24[21] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Career total 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 0
  1. ^ a b Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

Honours

Arsenal U21

References

  1. ^ a b "E. Nwaneri: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  2. ^ Ames, Nick (18 September 2022). "Arsenal return to top spot as Fábio Vieira strike seals win at Brentford". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b Gary, Jacob (18 September 2022). "Ethan Nwaneri: Arsenal's 15-year-old becomes youngest top-flight player". The Times. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  4. ^ a b Watts, Charles (18 September 2022). "Why did Arsenal give Nwaneri record-breaking debut? Arteta explains 'gut feeling'". goal.com. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  5. ^ Balogun, Rilwan (18 September 2022). "Meet Ethan Nwaneri, 15-year-old Nigeria eligible player who is in Arsenal squad to face Brentford - Soccernet NG". Soccernet. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Ethan Nwaneri - 14yo turning heads at arsenal wows Arteta with wonder goal". owngoalnigeria.com.
  7. ^ "UNBELIEVABLE" 15-YEAR-OLD WILL JOIN ARSENAL UNDER-21 SIDE FOR TODAY'S GAME". hitc.com. Retrieved 18 September 2022.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ "Mikel Arteta calls 15-year-old up to first-team training". dailycannon.com.
  9. ^ a b Johnston, Neil (18 September 2022). "Arsenal: Ethan Nwaneri, 15, becomes youngest Premier League player". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  10. ^ Wright, Nick (19 September 2022). "Brentford 0–3 Arsenal: Fabio Vieira scores first Gunners goal as Mikel Arteta's side go top again". Sky Sports. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  11. ^ Fordham, Josh (19 September 2022). "Arsenal's 15-year-old wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri smashes Liverpool star's Premier League record with debut against Brentford and wasn't born when Gunners reached Champions League final". Talksport. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  12. ^ a b James, Josh (20 September 2022). "Nwaneri enters the record books". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri becomes youngest EPL player at 15". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Arteta on why he gave Ethan Nwaneri debut". Arsenal F.C. 18 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  15. ^ Ornstein, David (29 June 2023). "Arsenal prospect Ethan Nwaneri commits future to club". The Athletic. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  16. ^ "England MU17s squad named for EURO Finals". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Report: Croatia 0-1 England MU17s". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  18. ^ "England squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Who is Ethan Nwaneri? The 15-year-old Arsenal wonderkid on the bench for Brentford clash". Goal.com. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  20. ^ a b "Games played by Ethan Nwaneri in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Games played by Ethan Nwaneri in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  22. ^ "Hammers beat Arsenal 5–1 in the 2022–23 FA Youth Cup final at Emirates Stadium". The Football Association. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
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