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Topics: Football, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City
Chris Byfield
Ethan Nwaneri has committed his future to Arsenal despite interest from Manchester City and Chelsea, it has been claimed.
According to the Athletic's David Ornstein, the 16-year-old has signed scholarship forms with the Gunners and agreed to a professional deal for when he turns 17 in March 2024. The teenager's schoolboy registration was due to expire on June 30.
Last September, Nwaneri, aged just 15, became the youngest player in Premier League history when he came on as a substitute in Arsenal's win over Brentford.
The midfielder, who has been an Arsenal supporter since he was a boy having grown up in Islington, had reportedly attracted interest from Chelsea and City— two clubs renowned as the highest payers when it comes to academy players.
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However, despite strong admiration from other clubs, the Athletic claim Nwaneri never had any intention of leaving.
How good is Nwaneri?
Nwaneri is regarded as one of the country's most promising talents, having made his under-18s debut for Arsenal at just 14.
His ability became more widely recognised this season when he played for the under-18s, under-21st and first team. Under-18 boss Jack Wilshere even described the youngster as “unplayable” following a 3-3 draw with Manchester United last December.
Nwaneri has also been known to England's national youth setup since he played for Arsenal's under-14s aged just 12. The Arsenal youngster is now a regular for England's under-17s, having featured at the recent European Under-17 Championship in Hungary.
And Arsenal were seemingly desperate to keep hold of the starlet. Indeed, according to the Evening Standard Arsenal academy boss Per Mertesacker, manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar were all involved in the contract talks.
It's been a busy few days for Arsenal having, on Wednesday, confirmed the signing of Kai Havertz and reached a £105million agreement with West Ham for Declan Rice.