Ethan Nwaneri
Full name: Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri
Country: England/Nigeria
Date of birth: 21/03/2007 (15 years old)
Place of birth: London (England)
Height: —
Youth career: Arsenal
Current club: Arsenal
Squad number: 83
Current national team: England U-17
Position: central midfielder, attacking midfielder, winger
Preferred foot: left
Market value (by transfermarkt.de): —
Tournaments participated in: —
Contract until: unknown
Player’s agent: unknown
Transfer rumours: —
Similar type of player: Giovani Lo Celso/Santi Cazorla
Strengths:
– pace 
– passing
– vision
– technique
– ball control
– dribbling
– creativity
– versatility
– movement
– agility
– football IQ 
– athleticism 
– first touch
– work rate
To improve:
– operating with his right weaker foot
– aerial duels
Style of play:
– roaming playmaker/attacking box-to-box midfielder
– decent physicality and strength for a player of his size/not afraid of physical challenges despite his small frame
– likes to have the ball at his feet and has the natural ability of an ‘orchestrator’ midfielder who can perform at all midfield positions
– player with excellent technical ability, 1vs1 short-dribbling skills, close ball control, and fast direction shifts in possession
– modern midfielder who sees the game differently from most revealing creativity, cleverness at his off-the-ball movements, great vision, and passing ability orchestrating or providing dynamism to the team’s build-up process with ease and effectiveness
– fast, dynamic, and mobile player who covers a lot of space
– plays with natural flair and likes to speed up the game with progressive runs and passes
– possesses high stamina, energy, and the ability to go on lung-bursting runs through the middle of the park
– superb ability and control to dribble and make quick combinations at top speed
– cultured passer with a proclivity for breaking the lines with intricate vertical balls
– extraordinary thinking when on the ball – he often chooses options that are unexpected for the opposition
– high football IQ and spatial awareness
– has the ability and confidence to provide good through/killer passes in the final third
– possesses very interesting mid-range and long-range shooting skills
– great composure and retention skills under pressure/press-resistant player
– displays a natural technique to dribble and take fast decisions in tight spaces
– constantly asking for the ball and often is an additional passing option
– above-average decision-making for a player of his age
– high work rate in the defensive phase and pressing
– avoids using his right weaker foot
– decent direct and indirect set-piece taker
– tactically astute and technically capable of playing in various tactical systems
– seems to be a quiet but very determined and ambitious player
Nwaneri with a dynamic run and superbly weighted pass to provide an assist.
Nwaneri loses his markers with a superb first touch, makes a dynamic run through the middle, and provides a very good through ball to his teammate.
Heatmap by Wyscout:
He is best suited to playing as:
Central midfielder in 4-3-3.
Video:
Achievements:
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League summary (as for 11 December 2022):
Premier League 2022/2023 (ongoing): 1 game/0 goals (Arsenal)
Description:
Ethan Nwaneri is a product of the Arsenal academy. He is considered to be one of the most talented U17s in England. He is an absolute star of The Gunners youth teams. Thanks to his fantastic form for the U18s and U21s, he made his professional debut for Arsenal on 18 September 2022 in a league fixture against Brentford – at the age of 15 years and 181 days, he became the youngest ever Arsenal player, and the youngest player to appear in the top flight of English football. He is also a regular youth international for England – he started at the U-16 level and now he’s one of the stars of the U-17 setup.
Quotes:
“All the decisions that we take and that I take are for the club. It’s not for me, it’s not for the player, it’s because we believe that he has a talent that has to be developed incredibly in the next two or three years.”
(Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta after Ethan Nwaneri’s debut for Arsenal)
“It’s similar to my story in a way, because I was about the same age when I made my professional debut. The big difference though is that I was doing it at a Norwegian club and Ethan is at Arsenal!”
(Arsenal player Martin Ødegaard after Ethan Nwaneri’s debut for Arsenal)
Football Talent Scout potential rating:
World-class potential.
Links: