Ethan Nwaneri, a Nigerian-born youngster who is the youngest player in Premier League history, is allegedly about to sign his first professional deal with Arsenal next week.
When the young player came off the bench against Brentford in September 2022, he was just 15 years and 181 days old, making him the youngest player to appear in a Premier League game.
Nwaneri smashed the previous record at the Gtech Community Stadium during Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Liverpool, which was held by Harvey Elliott.
Nwaneri continued to create waves at the junior level last season despite not playing in another first-team game. In February, he participated in his second senior encounter, a 6-0 thumping of West Ham United.
As Nwaneri’s top-tier competitors started to show interest, Arsenal managed to secure scholarship conditions that expire in 2025.
The England junior international turned 17 on Thursday, making him qualified to sign contracts in North London as a professional.
When Nwaneri returns from his international assignment with England’s Under-17 team in the coming days, he will reportedly change his scholarship agreement into a professional contract, according to the Daily Mail.
The midfield player is reportedly planning to devote the next two or three years of his career to the Gunners, who have maintained distance from Chelsea and Manchester City in order to retain Nwaneri at the team.
The report additionally states that, barring the adolescent being persuaded to relocate, “informal” talks have already been started over a revised contract when Nwaneri reaches 18 in March 2024.
Nwaneri has enhanced his goal threat for the younger teams this season, and in December, he scored an incredible five goals in a single game during a 7-1 FA younger Cup smashing of Crewe Alexandra. However, his integration into the first-team football is still waiting.
In as many Premier League 2 games this season, the playmaker has directly contributed to nine goals for the Under-21s, scoring seven of his own and dishing out two assists.
