Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said Ethan Nwaneri could develop into a centre-forward over time.
The 17-year-old has primarily played as a right-sided attacking midfielder in his 14 appearances this season, replacing club captain Martin Odegaard in that role in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Everton.
Asked whether the pair could play together, Arteta said: “Depending on who they are surrounded with and which position, Ethan can play as a right attacking midfielder, left attacking midfielder, as a right winger and there is another position he can develop into in a few years time.”
Probed on what that other position was, the Arsenal manager said: “Nine. He’s got the goal in front of him and he just looks at the goal. He has a tremendous ability to put the ball in the back of the net.”
The teenager has four goals for Arsenal this season, only team-mates Kai Havertz (10) and Saka (nine) have more.
Nwaneri’s development in recent seasons has left the door open for him to play multiple positions under Arteta. In 2022-23 he played as an attacking midfielder, off both flanks and as a centre-forward for the under-18s and under-21s.
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That season, Arsenal under-21s head coach Mehmet Ali told The Athletic: “I believe playing as a pocket player, who can hold his position in a pocket, sometimes coming deeper or wider but really understanding that role is important for him. He has played in different areas to support his development.”
More emphasis was put on the teenager to arrive in pockets at the right time in 2023-24 , with Ali adding: “With Ethan, we’ve done a lot of work on his positioning, game understanding and scoring goals.
“Sometimes he gets drawn to always going towards the ball. That’s because he’s good at manipulating it. But if you watch our first team, they’re very clever and have a lot of trust to hold their positions.
“At times you have to move and rotate, but there are also times where you need to be patient and hold. What we do on the training pitch is create scenarios where he gets to practise against mannequins, smaller numbers and when he’s with the first team.”
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Where has Nwaneri played in Arsenal’s system?
The England Under-19 international has filled the left-attacking midfield pocket at times this season, but also went up front to help see out Arsenal’s 1-0 away win at Tottenham Hotspur.
Arteta also played Nwaneri as a left-sided attacking midfielder in pre-season ahead of Fabio Vieira, who was later loaned to Porto. Nwaneri impressed in the U.S., assisting a Gabriel Jesus goal against Manchester United after intelligent movement, and played alongside Odegaard in the process.
Should the Arsenal manager want to use the pair in a more creative midfield than he has previously fielded, that is an option. Last season, Nwaneri brought the teenager on for Bukayo Saka on the right wing against West Ham, where he roamed across the pitch and combined well with Odegaard too.
Even when Nwaneri made his Premier League debut as a 15-year-old, against Brentford in September 2022, there was an effort not to pigeonhole him into one position.
It will likely take a while before Arteta is fully comfortable with trialing this part of Nwaneri’s development, but that open-mindedness should stand to benefit both the player and club in seasons to come.
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(Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
