It would be fair to say that last season was something of a disappointment for Arsenal.
Instead of finally getting over the line, Mikel Arteta’s side had to make do with a third successive runners-up finish in the Premier League, only this time they ended up a distant second to eventual winners Liverpool.
However, while it wasn’t all doom and gloom, as last year also saw the incorporation of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri into the first team, with the former making 39 appearances and the latter 37, in which he scored nine goals and provided two assists.
Yet, while Lewis-Skelly has signed a new long-term deal, Nwaneri has not, and if reports are to be believed, the club could be about to sign someone who’d be bad news for the Enfield-born gem.
Arsenal target star who could be bad news for Nwaneri
After coming up through the Hale End academy, making his first team debut in 2022 and being regarded as one of the most exciting talents in the game, Nwaneri put pen to paper on his first professional contract in March 2024.
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Since then, the young Englishman has continued to develop, and although he’s not a regular starter for the first team, he’s shown real glimpses of quality and made quite a name for himself, despite being just 18 years old.
However, over the last week or so, there have been reports suggesting that talks over a new deal haven’t been progressing as well as some would have hoped, with the main sticking point being gametime.
While it still appears that this issue will be resolved, it’s a problem that could resurface in a few years, especially as the North Londoners look set to sign a player who could pose a threat to Nwaneri.
Indeed, amid reports of Viktor Gyokeres impending arrival, journalist Sebastien Vidal has reaffirmed that Arsenal are incredibly interested in signing Eberechi Eze this summer with Arteta ‘ready to hit hard’.
He has revealed that the Gunners are planning to submit an offer for the Englishman worth up to £60m in three instalments of £20m.
It’s not yet clear if that’s something Crystal Palace will accept, as per plenty of other stories this summer, the talented playmaker has a release clause worth around £68m in his current deal.
It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but Eze has proven he’d be worth it, even if his arrival could spell trouble for Nwaneri.
Why Eze could be bad news for Nwaneri
The primary reason Eze’s arrival at Arsenal could be bad news for Nwaneri is pretty straightforward: game time.
Based on the stories we have seen this week, that seems to be the teenager’s biggest concern at the moment, and that is something he could see reduced if the Palace star were to move to the Emirates.
For example, while the 27-year-old is unlikely to take minutes away from him off the right, he would be yet another established international who’d be ahead of him in the pecking order for midfield minutes.
Therefore, if the Hale Ender wanted to gain more experience in the role, so many believed his ultimately destined play, he’d need to outperform Martin Odegaard and the Greenwich-born ace, which, based on his form last season, seems like it would be a tough ask.
Indeed, the Eagles’ incredible “duel monster,” as dubbed by reporter Simon Collings, was able to score 14 goals and provide 11 assists in 43 appearances, which came out to a goal involvement every 1.72 games.
Appearances
43
Minutes
3303′
Goals
14
Assists
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.58
Minutes per Goal Involvement
132.12′
Moreover, the former QPR gem has demonstrated that he has the mentality to make a difference in big games, scoring in the quarter-final and semi-final of the FA Cup before then scoring the only goal in the final as well.
Ultimately, while signing Eze might not have a massive impact on Nwaneri’s game time off the right, as a backup to Bukayo Saka, it would undoubtedly impact his potential game time in the middle of the park.
Therefore, while Arteta and Co should still look to bring in the Palace monster, they should do so while looking to give more minutes to the Hale End phenom.
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