Arteta: We have to build Nwaneri's career brick by brick

Today at 01:13 PM

Ethan Nwaneri might have scored his first ever Premier League in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest this afternoon, but it was his fourth of the season having netted three times in the EFL Cup.

For a player with just 230 minutes of playing time this season across all competitions, that’s an incredible return, and inevitably there were questions about him after the game that Mikel Arteta addressed.

Not for the first time, he produced a cameo from the bench that left everyone wanting more, but while the Arsenal boss was full of praise for how the 17 year old plays, he sounded a note of caution in order to ensure he undergoes the best possible development at first team level.

“What I like is that he comes in and in that context the first thing he does is take a touch, runs forward, runs past two players and put it inches away from the post,” said Arteta.

“I am responsible to build a career for him. You have to do that brick by brick. Today he put another brick. Now we have to put another cement, make sure it doesn’t get dry so we can put another one and that will stick.

“Then we put one more layer, one more layer. If you want to put five in a row believe me it won’t work.

“We have to manage not only his expectation but his load as well, which is really important.”

It might be slightly frustrating for fans who want to see more of a young player who is so exciting to watch, but it also makes sense when you consider his age – and how many players who are thrust into action so young often suffer the consequences as they get older.

No doubt as this season continues, he will play more and more, but this evening let’s enjoy the fact he’s got off the mark in the Premier League, and the knowledge that today’s goal will be the first of many.

So by my count, Nwaneri has eight starts across levels this year

So by my count, Nwaneri has eight starts across levels this year He’s scored every time he’s started, and has 11 G+A total

— Billy Carpenter (@billycarpy.bsky.social) November 23, 2024 at 5:14 PM

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