It is uncertain how much the club can afford to spend in order to meet FFP regulations, given last week’s announcement of plans for a new stadium that will cost £2 billion.
A striker is one of the main priorities, though, and some business will probably be done.
“I’m not kidding, he just walked into school on Monday, gave me his homework, sat down, and got on with it,” teacher Elle Bewley disclosed. No conversation, no interruption. Nothing.
That Nwaneri will not be enjoying his 18th birthday on Friday like any other adolescent is therefore not surprising. Rather, he is a member of the England Under-21 team led by Lee Carsley, which is playing France at Lorient.
Technically, the Hale End wonderboy, who has already scored eight goals in all competitions during his breakout season under manager Mikel Arteta, is a man.
On this historic day, he will also be able to change in the same locker room as Arsenal’s senior players at the Emirates and their London Colney training base, something he had previously been unable to do due to safety regulations.
However, those who know Nwaneri the best will tell you that because of his striking maturity and modest demeanor, he has long been a wise old head on young shoulders.
His father, who has been a guiding influence in his life both on and off the field thus far, is thought to be the source of that.
Since his father had cautioned that education comes before football, Nwaneri spent time studying in hotel rooms for his GCSE examinations during the Under-17 European Championships in Hungary in May 2023, together with friend and fellow academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly.
He would request additional revision papers from the teachers at St. John’s to take home. He researched and presented conspiracy theories for a GCSE English spoken language project rather than using football as the basis.
He excelled in mathematics and received a perfect score of 98 percent on his school entrance exams. “He is a very academic boy,” said Alexander Tardios, his head teacher. He might as well have ended up at UCL or King’s College.
To make sure he didn’t miss any tests, Nwaneri would order Ubers from London Colney back to his school.
Lewis-Skelly, a childhood friend of Nwaneri’s who lived nearby, would cycle over on days off so they could get in some additional training.
He has maintained his groundedness as a first-team regular to this day. He is frequently observed waiting to be picked up in the parking lot after practice as his teammates depart in opulent sports vehicles.
When the Under-9s were paraded around the field at halftime of an Arsenal 4-1 Premier League victory over West Brom in May 2015, Nwaneri was first introduced to the Arsenal supporters at the age of eight.
New manager Arteta had his eye on 12-year-old Nwaneri four and a half years later. The Spaniard requested recordings of his development from academy instructor Dan Micciche.
After playing for the Under-14s at the age of 12, Nwaneri scored on his Arsenal Under-18s debut at the age of 14. Soon after, he was training with boys much older than him.
To help him grow and become more resilient, he was also urged to play a variety of positions, including winger, center-forward, left-sided No. 8, and No. 10.
“Remains in development”When Nwaneri joined Hale End following a brief stint in Chelsea’s junior system, Steve Morrow, a former Arsenal midfielder, was the Gunners’ head of youth development.
“We always believed that the players needed to be at a level where they were being more challenged than their actual age group,” Morrow told SunSport.
You can still see the characteristics he possessed when he was eleven or twelve years old. That power, that acceleration, that shoulder drop, and that balance. How straightforward he is, too.
The way that all of his superpowers have continued to grow is amazing.
He was scoring goals for fun every week with sheer skill, intelligence, and technique—not just physical attributes—when I went down to Hale End on a Sunday to see him.
He frequently played centrally rather than wide. His development was greatly aided by that, as it provided him with spatial awareness of his surroundings.
Taking advantage of his opportunityIt is extremely uncommon for young athletes to make such wise choices. You can see it today, and he had it early. Ethan is free to travel as far as he likes.
“You see players with similar skill levels sometimes, but the ones who have the right focus, attitude, and character—the ones who are courageous and can handle setbacks—are the ones who succeed.”
He was linked to returning to Chelsea at the end of his scholarship year in the summer of 2023, with Manchester United and Manchester City also showing interest. However, he ultimately committed to the team, signing his first senior deal in March 2024.
It has paid off, as he has so far excelled in the Premier League and the Champions League while taking advantage of his opportunity while Bukayo Saka was sidelined for three months this season due to hamstring surgery in December.
“We treated him like any other person,” stated Adam Birchall, the current coach of the Under-18 team. And the parents did a fantastic job of realizing how important that was.
That’s incredibly important since it helped with values and everything as individuals.
I’ve observed [Nwaneri’s] perseverance, that mindset, and his desire to be the best version of himself throughout.
“That is the essence of being a Strong Young Gunner—having genuine personal strength and self-awareness to be able to function in that setting.”