Arsenal receive huge boost as Ornstein reveals starlet snubs Man City to ‘commit future’ to club
The summer transfer window just gets better and better for Arsenal, who have reportedly reached an agreement to keep hold of highly-rated teenager Ethan Nwaneri.
Nwaneri became the youngest player in Premier League history when he came off the bench against Brentford last September.
He was 15 years old at the time and the appearance was a huge show of faith from Mikel Arteta, who obviously sees the player as a big part of the Gunners’ future.
Nwaneri’s schoolboy registration was set to expire at the end of June and he has been attracting interest from a host of top clubs, including Manchester City and Chelsea.
Multiple reports now say Arsenal have tied Nwaneri down to a long-term contract, much to the delight of the club’s fans.
READ MORE: Every club’s youngest Premier League debutant and what happened to them…
Fabrizio Romano said on Thursday afternoon that Arsenal are ‘increasingly confident’ they will agree a new deal with the 16-year-old, and The Athletic correspondent David Ornstein then reported that he has in fact ‘committed his future’ to the club.
With his schoolboy registration expiring on June 30, Nwaneri has signed scholarship forms and agreed to pen a professional deal when he turns 17 next March.
Despite ‘strong admiration’ and interest from elsewhere, the boyhood Arsenal fan ‘never had any intention of leaving’ having grown up in Islington.
Nwaneri played for the Gunners’ Under-18s, U21s, and first-team in 2022/23 having made his debut for the U18s at the age of 14.
The 16-year-old joins Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli in agreeing to pen a new long-term deal.
The summer transfer window has been open for a little less than three weeks, but it already looks like it will be a superb one for Arteta’s side.
Arsenal confirmed the £65million signing of Chelsea’s Kai Havertz on Wednesday and have agreed a fee with West Ham United for their captain Declan Rice.
Rice was identified by Arteta as his number-one summer target and is set to get his man when the two London clubs iron out the final payment details in what will be a £105m transfer.
Arteta has also reportedly convinced Ajax defender Jurrien Timber to join.
The Dutch international can operate as a right-back and centre-back and would be a super addition in a position Arteta desperately needs to bolster.
If Arsenal can get Rice and Timber through the door and perhaps add another player before the window closes, they will be in a great position to compete for the Champions League and Premier League titles next term.
READ MORE: Declan Rice: Inside the crowbarred Manchester United and Chelsea links to £100m Arsenal move
