Ethan Nwaneri has signed his first professional contract with Arsenal.
The Hale Ender made history by becoming the youngest player in Premier League history last season after making his first team debut aged just 15 years and 181 days old in a 3-0 victory over Brentford.
With Nwaneri not able to sign scholarship forms at that age, a battle than began for his signature, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea among those interested. Eventually though, the Islington-born teenager decided to commit his future to Arsenal.
Rules state that players cannot be offered professional contracts until they are 17-years-of-age. Nwaneri celebrated his 17th birthday last week and his now signed pro terms with the club he has been at since he was eight.
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“We are extremely proud of Ethan and his journey, from pre-academy to Hale End, then a seamless transition to Sobha Realty Training Centre and then making his first team debut,” Arsenal academy manager Per Mertesacker said. “Ethan’s journey now continues, and we will all be there alongside him to support his development.
“Ethan has a strong ability to master the ball and dominate possession, this is what we are all about at Arsenal Football Club. He is someone that will thrive on and off the pitch, he is a strong young gunner and we look forward to working with him during his ongoing development in the years to come.”
Since making his senior debut against Brentford, Nwaneri has gone on to make one further first team appearance against West Ham. “There is something that you have to earn in your team and that is the trust of your team-mates,” Mikel Arteta said of his decision to throw the youngster back into the first team environment at the London Stadium.
“I had two things. One, the players on the bench whispering ‘Bring Ethan in!’, which is a great thing to hear. The other thing is for your teammates to give you the ball all the time. If they do that, it’s because they really trust you and you only have to see how many times he was involved in that. So it’s a great sign.”
Nwaneri has continued to impress at academy level this season as well, scoring 14 goals in 14 appearances. He has also represented England at Under-17s level.
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