Gabriel Martinelli has named Ethan Nwaneri as the Arsenal academy player most likely to help the first-team squad in the future.
Gabriel Martinelli knows all about being a young player at Arsenal, having joined the club just days after his 18th birthday and going on to become a starter for the club over the following few years.
Speaking in an interview with AS this week, Martinelli looked to the next generation, picking out Ethan Nwaneri as a player the club will look to in the future.
“At the club they are very happy with the evolution of the young people who come up from the Academy,” Martinelli said. “We try to give them all the help we can to make them comfortable.
“Everyone knows how difficult it is to get into the first team, to be a professional. They have to take advantage of the opportunity, but also be calm.
“Ethan [Nwaneri] is a very quality boy. The club has a lot of faith in him and hopes that he will be the one who can help us the most in the future.”
James McNicholas recently reported for The Athletic that Nwaneri is expected to feature more often next season, with Arsenal unlikely to pursue the signing of an attacking midfielder this summer.
Charles Watts added in his Daily Briefing that he expects Nwaneri to stay at Arsenal next season and become more of a fixture in the first team, though he’s not expecting the teenager to become a regular.
It’s perhaps too soon for a starting role, but Watts claimed Mikel Arteta will start to give Nwaneri more minutes to aid his development.
Nwaneri is on his summer holidays, having spent time away with the England u17s at the European Championships last month.
The midfielder scored three goals in four games at the tournament, having also scored three goals in three games in qualifying in March.
At club level, Nwaneri contributed 18 goals and four assists in 20 youth appearances last season, including a Goal of the Season contender. He also made one senior Premier League cameo against West Ham United.
It would be a shock and a disappointment if Nwaneri isn’t involved with the first team on their pre-season tour this summer.