Nwaneri’s limited minutes spark questions about his development

Just Arsenal News

·17. Mai 2025

Nwaneri’s limited minutes spark questions about his development

When Arsenal needed a goal at home to PSG, Ethan Nwaneri was not brought on until the 91st minute. In Paris, despite the Gunners reaching a point where they needed to throw everything at the French champions, the teenager remained on the bench. Calafiori and White were deemed better attacking options.

At the weekend, when Trossard went off injured, he was replaced by a left-back. For the second game in a row, Arsenal’s 18-year-old prospect was left unused. Even in recent Premier League fixtures, where it was widely assumed Mikel Arteta was rotating with one eye on the Champions League, Nwaneri’s minutes remained limited.

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Losing at home to Bournemouth, it took until the 86th minute for the youngster to be introduced. That was also the case when Arsenal were held by Crystal Palace. Against the Eagles, in perhaps the clearest sign he has slipped down the pecking order, Raheem Sterling was preferred from the start.

Tactical choices or deeper concerns?

This is why some supporters are unwilling to let the manager hide behind injuries and red cards. At times, strange decisions have been made. Why give minutes to a player who is unlikely to be in North London next month rather than to someone who could be the future of the club?

It is worth stressing that the manager maintains these are purely tactical decisions, so it would be wrong to suggest there are any issues with attitude. Although the Spaniard once said weekly that Özil was a model professional in training, he still paid him to stay at home.

The last time Nwaneri had enough time to make an impact was away at Ipswich, where he scored after coming on shortly before the hour mark. We do not see the players every day, but the coaching staff do. You have to trust their judgement. Clearly, they have seen something that has led to his reduced playing time. That is literally their job.

It does not necessarily mean Nwaneri has done anything wrong. It could be physical, with the staff not wanting to take risks. It might be a decision to avoid overplaying someone so young, or even a way to give him a mental break. To make the step from academy to first team, the talent is a given. But at the highest level, skill and technique alone are not enough.

More than talent required to thrive at the top

Managing a young player is as much about personal development as it is about football. Nwaneri only recently became a legal adult and is already living his childhood dream. Consider the odds of becoming a professional footballer at all , then consider the odds of doing so for the club you support.

Every fanbase dreams of seeing one of their own make it. Patience is often extended to academy products, but so is expectation. We have seen it with Lewis-Skelly, and before him Wilshere, Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah. It is why brands like Adidas prefer players from Hale End or those who are British when choosing models for merchandise. These are the players fans identify with most.

Decent performances are described as good, good ones as great. Comparisons are drawn before players have achieved anything. Hype builds on nothing more than hope. For instance, in pre-season, Nwaneri was described by some as more skillful than Lamine Yamal. Yes, that Yamal, the 16-year-old who won the Euros, was named Young Player of the Tournament and had five goal involvements, all after already winning La Liga with Barcelona. At that time, Nwaneri, a year older, had not started a Premier League match.

Unless those fans were watching Arsenal under-21s every week, those judgments were based on a handful of friendlies. That was also enough for some to claim he was more talented than Cesc Fàbregas at the same age.

Surely, if Arsenal had someone more skillful than Yamal, he would have been starting far more often. Yamal has gone from strength to strength, winning a domestic double with Barcelona. Nwaneri, by comparison, is 15 points away from that level, having scored nine goals and provided two assists in 36 appearances. Yamal, a year younger, has 17 goals and 25 assists from 53 games.

That gives you an idea of the spotlight placed on any young Gunner, particularly one who has been at the club since the age of eight. This is where Arteta earns his money. It is less about what the player does with the ball and more about how he develops as a person.

How does he handle praise? How does he interact with his peers in the canteen? How does he treat non-playing staff? What is he like on the team coach? Is he buying into the hype or staying grounded?

Arteta’s track record makes things hard to predict. The 43-year-old is not afraid to drop a player who no longer fits his ethos. You could name a whole XI of players frozen out for falling short of his principles.

At Nwaneri’s age, inconsistency is to be expected. Perhaps the decision has been made to take him out of the pressure cooker and let him breathe. Perhaps this is Arteta protecting him for the long term.

How the youngster responds will be the next step in his development.

Thoughts Gooners?

Dan Smith

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