I’ve a small (learn: insignificant) skilled background in studying and growth and expertise administration from a previous profession. It’s truthful to say that individuals growth has all the time me at some degree and relating to soccer, I’m actually fascinated by the various and diversified methods during which younger gamers develop (and, usually, the various and diversified causes that they don’t develop).
There isn’t a one measurement matches all methodology for growing folks or for growing footballers, everybody’s ‘journey’ and studying fashion is totally different. After I look again at younger gamers who’ve made the grade at Arsenal all through the years, all of them had a really totally different emergence. From somebody like Cesc Fabregas who had apparent star high quality and for whom a number of senior gamers have been primarily cleared from his path.
To a participant like Ray Parlour who simply form of appeared with out nice fanfare and caught round for a very long time, amassing plenty of silverware as he went alongside. Some gamers make their breakthrough because of harm (Mathieu Debuchy’s shoulder was the midwife to Bellerin’s ascension) and typically a participant simply had a selected high quality missing elsewhere within the squad- in chess phrases, Alex Iwobi was a real ball provider in a comparatively static workforce.
Final season noticed the emergence of two academy abilities into the Arsenal senior workforce. Ethan Nwaneri’s expertise was already properly documented earlier than final season however accidents meant that he shortly turned an vital participant in 2024-25. Myles Lewis-Skelly’s rise to fame was a little bit extra surprising, given he had by no means actually performed at left-back earlier than and Arsenal had 14 left-backs who all managed to get injured by some means.
Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri signed new long-term contracts this summer season. It’s truthful to say the latter’s deal appeared to be a extra protracted negotiation than the previous. Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea have been circling and, from what we perceive, Nwaneri’s signature was not all the time assured. In actual fact, it appears as if there have been moments of real doubt.
Nwaneri began three of Arsenal’s 5 pre-season pleasant matches and all of these begins got here within the ‘proper eight’ place dominated by Martin Odegaard since his arrival from Actual Madrid. I believe this was partly about serving to Nwaneri acclimatise to a comparatively new place in a secure setting.
Studying between the traces a little bit extra, I’d counsel it was additionally a present of religion within the participant designed to persuade him to signal a brand new contract. What’s attention-grabbing for me about Nwaneri’s growth is how a lot has been pushed by contract negotiations. As a result of his tender years, Arsenal have needed to maintain two intense rounds of contract negotiation with the participant in underneath 18 months.
He signed his first skilled deal on his seventeenth birthday in March 2024. I don’t assume it’s a enormous coincidence that Arsenal reduce Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira free that very same summer season. I strongly suspect that, once more, this will have been a promise made to Ethan throughout these contract negotiations, the place vultures would once more have been circling.
This summer season, Arsenal purchased Noni Madueke as additional cowl on the proper wing, which, on the face of it, would impede Nwaneri’s path to common minutes. Nonetheless, Arsenal didn’t purchase any pure Odegaard cowl / competitors this summer season. It is among the few areas of the workforce the place they didn’t actually buy any form of squad depth (until you depend Eze however I actually don’t count on to see him to play there in something apart from an harm disaster).
TL;DR, I think (and I’ve no info to this impact in any respect) Nwaneri and his representatives recognized enjoying in a extra ‘inside’ place and it was presumably a deal breaker by way of extending his contract. It could possibly be a completely tactical choice on the a part of the participant, it is also a recognition that making an attempt to grow to be Bukayo Saka’s place won’t be expedient for his profession (with Max Dowman coming down the tracks too…)
Shifting Odegaard from the place received’t be simple, in fact. However Arsenal have already witnessed the harm attributable to over reliance on Odegaard. Shopping for Madueke exhibits they’re critical about having depth past Saka so the indicators level to Nwaneri having a big function with the prospect to push for extra.
There’s a sample too in how Arsenal have managed Odegaard’s absences up to now this season. When the captain went off injured towards Leeds and Nottingham Forest at house, Nwaneri was known as for from the bench. Mikel Merino was an unused substitute within the Leeds recreation. When Nwaneri got here on towards Forest, Declan Rice was additionally accessible from the bench.
Nonetheless, within the extra white-hot environment of Anfield and San Mames, Mikel Merino received the nod. It isn’t too tough to see the pondering there, Nwaneri has been most popular for house video games when Arsenal have been anticipated to dominate the ball. For harder away video games, Merino’s expertise and physicality have been most popular allies for Arteta.
A part of Arsenal having squad depth is about with the ability to present totally different faces for various events and the way Nwaneri and Merino match into that has been an intriguing subplot within the opening matches of the season. How Nwaneri’s growth unfolds from right here will even be actually attention-grabbing.
I’ve to be trustworthy, I think it might need been higher for him to maintain the twin Saka and Odegaard understudy spots open and simply take all of the minutes accessible at this stage. However like I mentioned, no two journeys are the identical and if specializing in combating for Odegaard’s spot is what Ethan thinks is greatest for him, I’m no person to evaluate.
I additionally suspect that Arteta prefers having Madueke and Nwaneri accessible to him. One factor is for sure, Arsenal have an enormous expertise on their arms. It’s simple to neglect that Nwaneri doesn’t even flip 19 till the ultimate day of British winter. How and the place he blooms on this Arsenal workforce goes to be fascinating to witness.
