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Arsenal prodigy set to signal first skilled contract

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Arsenal teenager Ethan Nwaneri is believed to be simply days away from signing his first skilled contract, having lately celebrated his seventeenth birthday.

Nwaneri made historical past when he was handed a senior debut by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta in September 2022 on the age of simply 15 years and 181 days, showing off the bench in a Premier League win over Brentford to change into the youngest ever participant in England’s high flight.

The prodigious expertise turned 17 on 21 March, the age from which male gamers are allowed to be signed on skilled phrases. The Every day Mail has reported that Nwaneri will pen such a deal when he returns from responsibility with England’s Beneath-17 squad following Tuesday’s conflict with France.

The contract is anticipated to be between two and three years in size, though it stated there have already been “casual discussions” about signing an improved deal when he turns 18 subsequent 12 months.

Nwaneri is believed to have membership captain Martin Odegaard, himself a first-team participant on the age of 15 again with first membership Stromsgodset in Norway, as a private mentor.

Nwaneri was only 15 when he made his Arsenal debut in 2022

Nwaneri was solely 15 when he made his Arsenal debut in 2022 / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

If the teenager, who made his second Arsenal look when the Gunners confronted West Ham United within the Premier League final month, begins to make a constant impression at first-team degree, likelihood is that he will probably be commonly signing recent offers over the approaching seasons to replicate a rising standing.

Discussing his determination to play Nwaneri towards West Ham lately, Arteta defined it was motivated by the extent of belief that senior Arsenal gamers have already got within the teenager.

“There’s something that it’s important to earn in your staff and that’s belief [from] teammates,” he stated.

“I had two issues. One, the gamers on the bench whispering ‘Deliver Ethan in!’, which is a superb factor to listen to. The opposite factor is to your teammates to provide the ball on a regular basis. In the event that they try this, it is as a result of they actually belief you and also you solely should see what number of instances he was concerned.”

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