Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would deal Ethan Nwaneri a "real blow" by not starting him in Tuesday's Champions League clash with Athletic Bilbao, expert Charles Watts feels.
The Gunners begin their 2025-26 UCL campaign away to the Spanish outfit at San Mames Stadium, where Arteta will be without captain Martin Odegaard as a result of the shoulder injury he suffered in the weekend's 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest.
Nwaneri replaced Odegaard in-game on Saturday, but Arteta sided with Mikel Merino to step in for his skipper in August's 1-0 loss to Liverpool, and he has been reluctant to start Nwaneri in his captain's slot given the responsibility that such a position entails.
Odegaard is trusted to lead the press in Arsenal's off-the-ball 4-4-2 shape, but speaking to Sports Mole, Watts insisted that other players can shoulder that burden, and Nwaneri is deserving of a start in Tuesday's Champions League opener.
“He’s no Martin Odegaard doing that, but I don't think he necessarily has to," Watts said. "You can change who leads the press. Does that have to really fall on Ethan just because he's in Martin Odegaard's position? Probably not.
"He still has to work very, very hard off the ball. But if you've got Declan Rice playing next to him, he can be the guy who leads the press. Or Mikel Merino. I don't think you have to necessarily put all the responsibility that your captain has on an 18-year-old’s shoulders just because he's playing in the same position. There’s ways around that.
“He just deserves it. He played really well when he came on [against Forest]. It was a real assured, mature performance. This is where he is going to play this season. If Martin Odegaard is injured, it would just be a real blow to him not to start. I could understand it at Anfield, erring on the side of experience and physicality.
“But in the Champions League, yes it's going to be an intense atmosphere. But Ethan can handle that. I saw really good signs from him against Forest in that role. Mikel’s shown he's had no issue throwing him on. To do it in the away game would give him a real, real boost of trust.”
Nwaneri "just deserves" Arsenal start in Athletic clash
Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri pictured on February 15, 2025
Odegaard will take his place on the sidelines with Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka for the showdown with Athletic, whereArsenal can make Champions League history with all three points.
A victory would see the Gunners become the first side to ever claim six successive wins against Spanish teams in the European Cup, and Watts is expecting nothing less than a historic win for the club, even in spite of their fitness concerns at present.
“I'm confident Arsenal will win any game at the moment," he added. "They're ridiculously strong in defence, and we certainly saw at the weekend the new attacking options provide a real spark in the absence of some key players. I'm absolutely confident.
“It's going to be a difficult game, but Arsenal will go there full of belief that they can get themselves off to a good start. And they need to. A good start is absolutely key. They're going to have to survive a pretty intense atmosphere, but they're used to that now.
Arsenal and Athletic will be facing off in a competitive match for the first time at senior level on Tuesday evening, but the two clubs did contest this year's Emirates Cup, which was not much of a contest in truth.
Arteta masterminded a straightforward 3-0 victoryin that friendly battle thanks to goals from Viktor Gyokeres, Saka and Havertz, although Watts does not believe that Arsenal can read too much into that pre-season result.
“It's tough to really take too much from it," he added. "Muscle memory is good. You know you can beat them, but it’s going to be a completely different game, different atmosphere. It’s always nice to know that you can beat the opponent but competitive football is very, very different.
“So I'm not reading too much into that. So many changes during the game, I can't imagine that's going to be at the forefront that too many of the players' minds going into this one.”
Athletic vs. Arsenal: Could Gunners relaunch Nico Williams transfer pursuit?
Spain's Nico Williams on June 6, 2025
Nico Wiliiams was one of the starters for Athletic in that defeat, but the Basque outfit's star man will not be facing the Gunners on Tuesday night, having recently suffered a groin injury while representing Spain during the international break.
Arsenal and Barcelona were thought to have been the main two contenders for Williams's signature during the summer transfer window, but the Euro 2024 winner thenpenned an astounding 10-year contract extension at San Mames.
Instead, the Gunners swooped for Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze - both of whom have made bright starts to their Gunners careers - but Williams is still understood to possess an affordable release clause in his new Athletic contract.
As a result, Watts could not totally rule out Arsenal reigniting their interest in years to come, adding: “I don't know, just because of the other business they did this summer. He’s got that long term contract, but he's also got a not totally extravagant buyout clause. He's still gettable for the top clubs, but it's safe to say he hasn't pulled up many trees recently.
“Since the Euros, basically, he’s not been doing it on a consistent basis. And have Arsenal spent a lot of money on wide players, if you include Eze as an out-and-out wide player. Maybe that is gone now.
“You can’t rule it out altogether. Arsenal for a good couple of years were very, very keen on Nico Williams, especially after the Euros; if he'd have said yes that summer, then they would have gone all out and tried to sign him. I'm absolutely convinced of that. But he decided to stay.
“I'd be surprised if that's one that Arsenal go down in the next year or so. But never say never.”
Williams only managed five goals and five assists in the 2024-25 La Liga campaign, but he had a hand in all three of Athletic's goals during their opening 3-2 win over Sevilla this term, scoring one of his own and setting up two more.
> Click here to listen to the full preview for Arsenal's Champions League clash with Athletic Bilbao
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