With all the talk around Rodrygo, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, playing time for Ethan Nwaneri has been a valid concern to raise.
Last week, as speculation around Madueke to Arsenal intensified, there was talk that Chelsea were monitoring Nwaneri’s contract negotiations, with the Englishman’s contract set to expire in 12 months time.
**Concerns over playing time**
There is no doubt that Ethan Nwaneri is a huge talent. But he should have no concerns around his playing time.
[](https://shewore.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image.png)
Last season, only 5 players aged 18 or under (at the end of the season) played more minutes than Nwaneri.
At 889 minutes, Nwaneri played 585 minutes more than the next player that finished in a Champions League spot – Newcastle’s Lewis Miley with 304 minutes. And last seasons data shows that Arsenal are the best option for a top young player to get minutes:
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) – 1371 minutesEthan Nwaneri (Arsenal) – 889Lewis Miley (Newcastle) – 304Tyrique George (Chelsea) – 178Josh Acheampong (Chelsea) – 169Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (Manchester City) – 95Marc Guiu (Chelsea) – 70Jayden Dennis (Liverpool) – 10Mathis Amougou (Chelsea) – 7
Claudio Echeverri (Manchester City) – 5
Last season, Nwaneri played more minutes than every other player aged 18 or under at Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle combined.
If you are good enough, you will get the chances. And both Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly have shown that this season. But whilst Lewis-Skelly has been staring for the England senior national team, Nwaneri found himself on the bench for the majority of the triumphant England U21 team.
Whilst that does not make Nwaneri a bad player – he was the youngest player in the squad and 4-years younger than “hero of the tournament Harvey Elliott” – it shows that he is perhaps not ready yet to be flung into senior football at a top club. But if he continues progressing, he will get that chance.
**Why join Chelsea?**
If Nwaneri is reluctant to sign a new contract as he is concerned about game time, he either needs to be looking at a move to someone lower in the league (such as Bournemouth), or a move away from England. What he should not be doing is looking at Chelsea.
As it stands, Chelsea have a first team senior squad of around 31 players. And that does not include the talented youngsters that do not require registering. Once they are included, Chelsea’s squad will be closer to 40.
You would have to be crazy to move to Chelsea if you are concerned about playing time at your current club. And Exhibit A is former Arsenal starlet Omari Hutchinson.
Hutchinson left us for Chelsea having refused to sign a new deal as he wanted guarantees of playing time, and no a loan deal tp a Championship club.
A year after joining Chelsea, having made just 1 Premier League appearance, he was loaned to Ipswich Town in the Championship. He had basically wasted a year of his career, as that was the sort of loan deal Arsenal were lining up 12 months earlier.
Following his influence in Suffolk as Ipswich got promoted, the Tractor Boy’s signed Hutchinson on a permanent deal. After 2 years and just that 1 Premier League appearance since leave Arsenal, he had left Chelsea.
There are also examples in Manchester with Chido Obi Martin and Ayden Heaven. Both men left Arsenal for “more game time” and a “clearer route to the first XI”. Despite taking a step down to Manchester United, the pair players 160 and 171 minutes respectively.
Taking into account our striker issues last year, you have to feel Obi Martin would have got 3 or 4 times more that game time had he signed at Arsenal.
If Nwaneri wants game time, he is best signing a new deal at Arsenal and continuing his development. If in 12-months he has played less time than this season, it will mean he has not progressed as expected and the door will be open for him to search for gametime elsewhere.
**The future**
The majority of Nwaneri’s minutes last season came as Bukayo Saka’s cover, and the feeling was he would continue to step up into that role this season. But it looks like Mikel Arteta et al have other plans.
With the speculation around Noni Madueke increasing at a rapid speed, it looks like the Chelsea right winger is being lined up to be cover for Saka. And Madueke is currently at a higher level than Nwaneri.
That would not leave Nwaneri as “3rd choice right winger”. More he would become Martin Odegaard’s cover playing a little bit more centrally.
Throughout his youth career and his young senior career, the feeling was Nwaneri was better suite centrally than on the wing – he lack that half yard of pace that would be a differential in certain situations.
Prior to the Madueke news, every “2025/26 squad” I had written had Nwaneri basically backing up both Odegaard and Saka (with a little help from Gabriel Jesus and whoever was recruited on the left). It would be a big ask for an 18-year-old to be your cover for 2 positions.
If we recruit Madueke, it would result in him being Saka’s cover, and Nwaneri covering for Odegaard. In turn that would see Fabio Vieira be allowed to depart either or on loan or permanently. I could easily see this for squad depth next season:
Rodrygo Rice Odegaard Saka
Eze Merino Nwaneri Madueke
And it is easy to forget that Nwaneri is still just 18.
In 5-years time, Odegaard will be 31 and Nwaneri just 23. This is the sort of thing we will be showing Nwaneri and his people if he is concerned about game time.
Be Odegaard’s understudy, you will get 1000+ minutes next season, and long term you can replace him. And we should use Phil Foden as the blue print of how we will progress him into the first team.
Foden at 22 – 2134 Premier League minutesFoden at 21 – 1614 Foden at 20 – 893 Foden at 19 – 329
Foden at 18 – 44
What Nwaneri is doing at 18 is more than what Foden was doing at 20. Although that has to be tempered with City having more squad depth so Foden had to be playing at an even higher level – a level he did not reach until he was 20.
I see no reason why, at 19, Nwaneri could not clock up 1600+ minutes in the Premier League next season. And then kick on to 2000+ a year later.
If that is not enough of a pathway to keep Nwaneri at the club, then it is clear that the only reason he might leave is for the money. And if he wishes to go to Manchester United or Chelsea, earn £100k a week in their chaos and disappear into obscurity, then so be it.
For now, the path is clear for Nwaneri. He is Odegaard’s cover and long term replacement. That should be more than enough to encourage him to sign.
Enjoy your Monday.
**Keenos**