Arsenal have convinced Hale End sensation Ethan Nwaneri to commit his future to the club, and he is now set to sign a long-term contract.
The teenager, who turned 17 this week, was the subject of interest from Manchester City and Chelsea in the summer, but Arsenal managed to fight off these rival clubs in order to convince him to stay.
Nwaneri became the youngest player to ever appear in the Premier League in a substitute appearance against Brentford last season when he was just 15 years old, and he has since thrived for the academy sides.
Now he is 17, he is eligible to sign professional terms, and it has now been revealed that his contract announcement is imminent.
Ethan Nwaneri set to sign Arsenal professional contract
Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Charles Watts revealed that Nwaneri’s professional contract is agreed, and will be signed and announced once he returns from International duty with the England under-17s.
“Ethan Nwaneri’s new contract is going to be done very, very soon. He’s already agreed the new deal, it’s there,” he stated.
“I think we had to wait until his 17th birthday before he could sign that first professional contract, his 17th birthday was in the last two days, but he’s away on international duty.
“It’s going to be announced soon. There is a new deal for Ethan Nwaneri, his first professional contract, which is fantastic news because he is clearly one of Arsenal’s best young talents at the moment.
“We’ve already seen him in the first team make a couple of appearances, he played against West Ham and made his famous debut against Brentford when he was just 15 years old.”
Nwaneri contract a massive boost for Mikel Arteta
Nwaneri was seemingly close to the exit door in the summer, and Mikel Arteta has received arguably unjust criticism over the lack of opportunities youngsters have been given in recent seasons.
The midfielder is so talented that despite Arsenal competing at the top of the Premier League, he received opportunities to join the matchday squad, and even came on as a substitute in a victory at West Ham.
Arsenal will now tie him down for the foreseeable future, and as he continues to develop, he will likely gain more first-team chances down the line.