Arsenal fans make claim about Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka after win over Girona

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Arsenal have secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League after seeing off Girona on Wednesday night.

The Gunners fell behind in the 28th minute after Arnaut Danjuma put the hosts ahead, but Jorginho struck a 38th-minute penalty to restore parity.

Ethan Nwaneri then scored his first ever Champions League goal, cutting inside on his left foot before firing a shot into the far corner on 42 minutes.

In doing so, he became the second youngest Englishman to score in the Champions League, and he played until the 82nd minute, when Gabriel Martinelli replaced him.

Arsenal fans following the game loved what they saw from Nwaneri and made a particular claim about him and fellow homegrown star Bukayo Saka.

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Arsenal fans think Ethan Nwaneri is better than Bukayo Saka was at 17

A number of Arsenal fans have been saying that Nwaneri is even better at 17 years old than Saka was at the same age.

One supporter wrote on X: “Honestly don't think Saka was a good as Nwaneri at 17.”

Another said: “Nwaneri is better than everyone at the club including Saka, at creating effective separation to take shots, from any angle/space. Kid is 17.”

The praise kept coming, with one fan writing: “Ethan Nwaneri is so comfortable on the ball. Even Saka wasn’t this good at 17.”

Another said: “The best compliment I can give to Ethan Nwaneri is that even Bukayo Saka wasn't this good at 17.”

Another wrote: “Btw.. Ethan Nwaneri. I actually think he's even better than Saka was at 17. The kid is magic. What a talent we got!”

How Nwaneri has fared at Arsenal so far

Nwaneri made headlines when he was handed his Premier League debut against Brentford in September 2022.

This saw him become the youngest ever Arsenal player, and the youngest player to appear in the top flight of English football aged just 15.

Nwaneri spent the following two years largely plying his trade at academy level, but he quickly outgrew the youth ranks and is now an established first-team player.

Nwaneri has made 23 appearances for Arsenal, of which 21 have come this season, and he has registered six goals in total, all of which have come this term.

The likes of Martin Odegaard, among many others, have sung Nwaneri’s praises as one of the most exciting talents to come through at N5 in recent years.

Nwaneri, along with Myles Lewis-Skelly, have shown they have what it takes to thrive at the highest level, and it’ll be exciting to see how they continue to develop at Arsenal.