Paul Merson has revealed that he does not expect Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri to leave the club on loan in January despite having a lack of first-team minutes this season.
The 17-year-old sensation scored his first Premier League goal of the season during the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest last time out but was back on the bench for the clash with West Ham on Saturday, meaning his only starts so far this season have come in the Carabao Cup.
Expectations around Nwaneri are incredibly high after he made his top-flight debut as a 15-year-old back in 2022, and they were further exacerbated recently when a previous coach of his revealed that he considers the attacking midfielder to be in a similar bracket of talent to Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho.
Merson: Nwaneri Won't Go on Loan
17-year-old has four goals this season for Arsenal
Arsenal attacking midfielder Ethan Nwaneri in action
When asked about those comments live on Soccer Saturday, Gunners legend Merson pleaded with the youngster to be patient about getting first-team opportunities, and admitted that he doesn't expect a loan move to materialise any time soon as he would benefit more from being around the first-team at Arsenal with the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
"At the moment people would have been asking why he wasn't playing when Odegaard was out, but he's a young kid. He's still got about 15 years ahead of him at the top level. You're playing around unbelievable players, you're training around unbelievable players.
"Just like the Foden situation, he didn't go on loan. I don't think this lad will be going on loan. He will learn the game. Just be patient, he'll get in. He's special."
Arsenal are moving to tie Nwaneri's long-term future down at The Emirates Stadium, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that talks are ongoing about a new contract with the club seeing it as a priority to deal with. Previous reports had suggested that Arsenal could hand Nwaneri a 200% pay rise, and the promise of more regular first-team football would undoubtedly help to convince him to stay too.
With a hectic schedule containing six games between now and Christmas, he will be hoping to get more minutes with Mikel Arteta likely to rotate his squad to keep players fresh.
Mikel Arteta Related
Arsenal Want to Sign ‘One of the Best in the World’ as Ideal Target
Arsenal would like to sign Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, but the price could present a stumbling block.