After three losses in their last away games, the pressure is now on Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, to turn to the direction of Anglo-Nigerian teenager, Ethan Nwaneri for a starting role, as the 17-year-old is seen as the Ideal game changer for the Gunners in their quest to wrest the Premier League title from Manchester City and also make an appreciable impact in the Champions League So far this season, Mikel Arteta has trusted Ethan Nwaneri to play only 52 minutes in the Premier League at Arsenal, even with Martin Odegaard injured. He has earned those minutes across five league appearances for Arsenal, demonstrating how short his cameos have often been. Of course, it’s a different story in the EFL Cup where Nwaneri has played 170 minutes across two matches, scoring three goals in the process.
The 17-year-old has been trusted against EFL sides in the competition, but played only eight minutes in the Champions League after coming in as an 82nd minute substitute in Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Inter Milan on Wednesday. Arteta is seen as biding his time with Nwaneri, in similar fashion to how Pep Guardiola helped Phil Foden integrate into the first team at Manchester City. However, speaking on the ‘Wrighty’s House’ podcast, Arsenal legend, Ian Wright, confessed that he was becoming increasingly frustrated with Arteta’s reluctance to start Nwaneri.
Wright shared his theory that Arteta must have been prepared to hand the youngster a sizable role given he was prepared to sell E.