'A lot of talk': Arsenal thought they might lose 'irresistible' young talent in their academy – journalist
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Arsenal have one of the brightest young talents in English football on their books right now.
Indeed, Ethan Nwaneri looks like he could be a a future star.
Nwaneri has recently been compared to Martin Odegaard by Per Mertesacker, and the teenager earned due praise for his performance against Preston in midweek.
Nwaneri looks like he's on the path to superstardom at Arsenal, but it didn't always look so clear-cut for the young midfielder.
Indeed, according to James McNicholas, speaking on the Handbrake Off Podcast, there was a lot of talk that Nwaneri would leave Arsenal when he was an academy player.
McNicholas did warn Arsenal that they need to make sure they keep Nwaneri happy, pointing towards Cole Palmer as an example of a player who can do incredible things elsewhere if he doesn't get the gametime he wants at his own club.
Arsenal almost lost Ethan Nwaneri
McNicholas spoke about how close Arsenal came to losing Nwaneri.
According to the journalist, the young midfielder looked like he could be on his way out of Arsenal at one point.
"I suppose, you know, it wasn’t always an absolutely sure thing that we’d keep him, you know, in the academy. There was a lot of talk about him potentially going there. So there is a bit of a flight risk there, not to panic anybody," McNicholas said.
"That is something that Arsenal need to be conscious of and think about. And the Cole Palmer example is one that a lot of young players will be looking at and saying, you know, I might be at one big club and not playing, but if there’s an opportunity to go and play somewhere else, I’m going to take it because look what it could do for me individually.
"I think we’re not going to have that issue with Ethan simply because I think he will get to the point, probably quicker than any of us anticipate, where he becomes irresistible, where there is almost no question or alternative about his inclusion in the first team."
Who wanted to sign Nwaneri?
McNicholas says that Arsenal almost lost Nwaneri, and there were tons of big clubs circling the teenager not so long ago.
Borussia Dortmund and Ajax tried to sign Nwaneri before he signed professional terms with Arsenal, while there was also plenty of interest from England.
Manchester City and Chelsea were having a serious look at Nwaneri, while Liverpool were also keen on the Arsenal starlet.
Manchester United looked to take Nwaneri at one point, but, luckily for Arsenal, the Red Devils didn't manage to get their hands on the youngster.
The fact that so many top clubs wanted to sign Nwaneri is a testament to his incredible ability, and while it's still early days, Arsenal may look back on the fact they managed to keep Nwaneri as one of the most important pieces of business they have done in recent years.
Nwaneri looks like he could be on his way to the top of English football after an incredible start to his young Arsenal career.
