Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri has signed scholarship terms with the club and agreed on a professional contract for when he turns 17, according to a report.
David Ornstein reports for The Athletic that Ethan Nwaneri has committed his future to Arsenal by signing scholarship terms with the club, with his existing contract set to expire this week.
The 16-year-old has also agreed to a professional deal for when he turns 17 next March, which is the earliest he can sign professional terms.
Ornstein writes that Nwaneri had major interest from other clubs, making him lucrative financial offers. But he never wanted to leave, as a lifelong Arsenal fan growing up in Islington.
Nwaneri had been heavily linked with other big-six clubs, most notably Manchester City and Chelsea.
Earlier this week, reports suggested Chelsea were very keen and making a move to lure the teenager away.
But the tide of opinion on Nwaneri’s future started to turn when the Evening Standard reported that Arsenal had made an attractive offer to Nwaneri, with Per Mertesacker, Mikel Arteta, and Edu all getting involved in talks.
The trio tried to map out Nwaneri’s path to the first team, and it now seems they succeeded in convincing him of his future at the club.
Fabrizio Romano then broke the news on Thursday morning that Arsenal were increasingly confident to keep Nwaneri around, with a new deal almost agreed, and talks advancing.
By lunchtime, Ornstein provided the confirmation that it was done.
Along with Myles Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri is Arsenal’s top academy talent in the u18s, and he’s one of the most exciting players coming through the Gunners’ youth system as a whole.
The duo have regularly played well above their own age group, and they’re always involved with the England youth teams over international breaks.
At the u17 Euros in May, Nwaneri scored England’s only goal in a 1-0 win over Croatia in the group opener, with Lewis-Skelly also winning a penalty (missed by a teammate).
Lewis-Skelly then scored an impressive opener against the Netherlands in a 4-1 victory to secure a top-two finish.
Though England were subsequently knocked out by France, the pair were both involved again as England beat Switzerland 4-2 to qualify for the u17 World Cup this November.
As for his time at Arsenal, Nwaneri scored twice to help the u18s to reach the FA Youth Cup final this year, and he’s young enough that he could be involved again in the upcoming season.
The versatile midfielder featured on multiple occasions for the u21s, playing in eight of their final 14 games of the Premier League 2 season.
Then there was his first-team debut back in September, making him the youngest-ever Premier League player.
Arsenal clearly believe in Nwaneri, and he’s repaying that faith by committing his future to the club.