Ethan Nwaneri

Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri (born 21 March 2007) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal.

Nwaneri made his Premier League debut against Brentford in September 2022, becoming the youngest ever Arsenal player, and the youngest player to appear in the top flight of English football aged just 15.

Early life
Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri was born on 21 March 2007 in Enfield, London, and attended St John's Senior School in Enfield. He is of Igbo Nigerian descent.

Club career
Nwaneri joined Arsenal at nine years-old. By the age of 14, he was already playing for their under-18 side. Predominantly, he plays as a midfielder.

Nwaneri started the 2022–23 season playing for Arsenal under-18s, but he was quickly advanced to the club's under-21 side. Having made a sole appearance in the 2022–23 Premier League 2, he joined the first team for training in September, and made his first senior matchday squad on 18 September when he was named as a substitute for the Premier League match against Brentford. Coming off the bench to replace Fábio Vieira in second-half stoppage time, he became the youngest player to ever appear in the Premier League – breaking the record previously held by Harvey Elliott, and the all-time English top-flight record held since August 1964 by former Sunderland goalkeeper Derek Forster, by three days. He also became Arsenal's youngest-ever player in any competition, breaking the previous record of 16 years and 177 days, set by Cesc Fàbregas in the 2003–04 League Cup. In the post-match press conference, manager Mikel Arteta explained that they had to name Nwaneri and two other under-21 players on the bench because the first team had several injuries, especially the injury of midfielder and captain Martin Ødegaard, and a "gut feeling" was behind his decision to send Nwaneri on.

In June 2023, with his schoolboy terms ending, Nwaneri agreed to a new deal with Arsenal on scholarship terms with an agreement for a professional contract upon his seventeenth birthday on 21 March 2024.

Nwaneri played as a substitute in the 2023–24 season in the Premier League in Arsenal's 6-0 win away against West Ham United, coming on in the 77th minute. In the post-match press conference, Arteta mentioned "the players on the bench whispering to bring Ethan on, which is a great thing to hear".

International career
After starring in qualifying, Nwaneri was named in the England squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship on 17 May 2023. He scored the winner in the opening match against Croatia at Balmazújvárosi Városi Sportpálya.

On 2 November 2023, Nwaneri was included in the England squad for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He scored his only goal of the tournament in their opening group game against New Caledonia in Jakarta. Nwaneri also played in the other group fixtures against Iran and Brazil. He came off the bench as a substitute during their round of sixteen defeat against Uzbekistan.

On 20 May 2024, Nwaneri was included in the England squad for the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He once again scored in the opening game of the tournament, this time a 4-0 win over France in Larnaca. Nwaneri also scored in a group stage victory over Spain. His third and last goal of the competition came in their quarter-final elimination against Italy.

Style of play
Nwaneri has been labelled as a player who can operate as a "number 10" but can play every attacking position, with an innate capacity to receive and dribble with the ball at his feet while also contributing defensively. He is comfortable in both wide and central roles.

Honours
Arsenal U21
 * FA Youth Cup runner-up: 2022–23