Arsenal - Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri
Image credit: Getty Images
Arsenal young starlet, Ethan Nwaneri, has set his sights on winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. Speaking to talkSPORT in an interview with Moose’ Abraham’s, Nwaneri expressed his ambition to have a lasting impact on the game and win the coveted award.
“100 per cent, yeah. That’s just the goal, but definitely. I’ve got that in the back of my mind,” Nwaneri said when asked if he wanted to be a Ballon d’Or contender. He also outlined his five-year goal is to ‘be one of the top three best players in the world’.
Nwaneri has been making waves in the Premier League with his impressive performances for Arsenal.
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He became the youngest player in Premier League history at 15 years and 181 days old when he made his debut for the Gunners in September 2022. Since then, he has made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring nine goals in the process.
However, Nwaneri is reluctant to sign a new deal at Arsenal without guaranteed playing time.
The young midfielder has battled for a starting spot with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, starting only 11 of his 26 league appearances in the 2024/25 season.
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CJ Egan-Riley, one of Nwaneri’s England Under-21 teammates, believes there’s no reason why the Arsenal teenager can’t achieve his goal. In fact, Egan-Riley “wouldn’t really be surprised” if Nwaneri becomes the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win football’s greatest individual prize.
“The last camp that we came on, for me, he was the best player,” Egan-Riley told talkSPORT.
Ethan Nwaneri - Mikel Arteta
Ethan Nwaneri (Image credit: Getty Images)
Arsenal have reportedly reached personal agreement to sign winger Noni Madueke this summer.
The potential signing of Noni Madueke from Chelsea could further complicate Nwaneri’s quest for regular playing time. With his contract expiring in 12 months, Nwaneri’s future at Arsenal remains uncertain.
The Gunners will need to balance their squad dynamics and ensure that Nwaneri gets the playing time he desires if they want to retain his services.
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