This was quite the week if you’re a Hale Ender. Arsenal romped into the next round of the League Cup with a 5-1 thrashing over League One side Bolton Wanderers.
It was a far-cry from their Premier League battles of old as star boy Ethan Nwaneri found the net twice before a procession of young players stepped onto the Emirates Stadium turf to earn their senior debuts for the Gunners.
Alongside Nwaneri, 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly earned his first start. Josh Nichols – who received gametime in pre-season – also started and there was an incredible first outing for Josh Porter – a 16-year-old goalkeeper who became the second youngest player in the club’s history to feature.
The future is bright, therefore, and particularly after Nwaneri’s little cameo from the bench against Leicester on Saturday afternoon.
Nwaneri's performance vs Leicester
How good is this, boy? Like seriously. How good is he? We hate to pile unnecessary pressure, unnecessary hype on a young footballer but this guy could just be the second coming of Lionel Messi.
Okay, that is unnecessary but he’s pretty damn good at kicking a ball around. Not since Bukayo Saka has a talent this good come from Hale End. Okay, that may not be that long ago but 17-year-old Nwaneri is already showing that he belongs on the Premier League stage.
Handed his debut as a 15-year-old, criticism was handed to Mikel Arteta. Some suggested it was a performance act from the manager to make him the youngest player in Premier League history. Well, he’s showing why he was trusted from such a young age to make a difference.
Senior appearances were sparse between that debut against Brentford in 2022 to now but he’s been patient and he’s finally showing what he’s capable of. The teenager scored a brace a few days ago against Bolton and very nearly turned the game on its head this weekend.
#1 Ethan Nwaneri
15 years, 5 months, 28 days
2022: Brentford
#2 Jack Porter
16 years, 2 months, 10 days
2024: Bolton Wanderers
#3 Cesc Fabregas
16 years, 5 months, 24 days
2003: Rotherham
#4 Jack Wilshere
16 years, 8 months, 12 days
2008: Blackburn
#5 Jermaine Pennant
16 years, 10 months, 15 days
1999: Middlesbrough
#6 Paul Vaessen
16 years, 11 months, 11 days
1978: Lokomotive Leipzig
#7 Ryan Smith
16 years, 11 months, 18 days
2003: Rotherham
#8 Gedion Zelalem
16 years, 11 months, 29 days
2014: Coventry
#9 Armand Traore
17 years, 16 days
2006: West Brom
Nwaneri came on in the dying embers of the match with the score set at 2-2. Judging by his immediate impact, Arteta arguably waited too long.
Within an instant, the academy star picked up the ball on the right-hand side, drove forward with pace, taking a few Leicester bodies out of the game before unleashing a shot that was saved well.
His next moment of magic came in the penalty area. He danced into the box, took on a few players, swivelled and then created a chance to score from.
Wow. Just wow. A kid at the age of 17 should not be having that sort of an impact on a Premier League game, but here he was, demonstrating why he should start in the absence of Martin Odegaard.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
That said, he’s not the only one who is in need of minutes over the forthcoming weeks.
When will Merino earn his debut?
It was typical, wasn’t it? Arsenal’s shiny new toy was enjoying his first training session with the Arsenal team before bang, you’re clattered by Gabriel. It’s okay, it’s alright, most players in the Premier League have been there.
However, this was a rough introducton. Mikel Merino injured his shoulder and hasn’t been seen in a matchday squad since arriving from Real Sociedad over the summer.
He could return next week, however, with Arteta admitting pre-Leicester that he was set to make a comeback.
“Next week we’ll see,” the manager said. “He had partial training today [Friday]. He’s been working so hard. It’s looking good. It’s about the healing of the bone and how mature that is to expose him to contact basically.”
So, while a start might be too soon against Southampton in a week’s time, it surely won’t be too longer before we see him lining up alongside Declan Rice and possibly even ahead of that man Nwaneri.
One man he should definitely start ahead of is Thomas Partey. The Ghanaian has done an admirable job throughout his time at the club but now 31, he is coming to the latter stages of his playing career.
Against Manchester City last weekend, he did a phenomenal job of screening the defence, knowing when to press and when to leave the player alone. He’s pretty decent at that sort of thing, truth be told.
Against Leicester he was unconvincing. Handed a 6/10 match rating by Football.London’s Kaya Kaynak, he stated that the midfielder ‘tired massively’ in the second half and should ahve done more to prevent the cross that led to James Justin’s second goal of the game.
Minutes played
85
Touches
107
Accurate passes
87/96 (91%)
Key passes
1
Long balls
1/1
Ground duels won
4/7
Aerial duels won
0/1
Possession lost
11x
Tackles
4
Interceptions
0
Clearances
0
Shots
0
So, Merino – described as a “duel monster” by analyst Ben Mattinson – could be the man to replace him, thus moving Rice into that holding role and helping to make that left-hand side even stronger.
Riccardo Calafiori has had a game-changing impact on Gabriel Martinelli in recent weeks – the Brazilian registering three goal involvements in two games – but introducing Merino could help him up another gear.
It’s time to ditch Partey and it’s time to unleash Merino very very soon. It’s scary to think this Arsenal side has the potential to become even better.
Arsenal have just unearthed their very own Alexander-Arnold
The Gunners have uncovered a precious new star this season.
ByMatt DawsonSep 29, 2024