Arsenal are open to letting Ethan Nwaneri leave the club this month with his progress stalling due to a lack of game time, as Bournemouth eye the teenage sensation
Ethan Nwaneri has struggled for minutes at Arsenal
Ethan Nwaneri has struggled for minutes at Arsenal
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Arsenal star Ethan Nwaneri may well be on the move in January with Bournemouth eyeing up the winger, who could leave on loan to further his development after struggling for opportunities this term.
The 18-year-old has a huge reputation and has enjoyed an impressive rise. Arsenal know the potential he has and tied him down to a five-year deal back in the summer, but since then the academy star has barely featured.
The Daily Mail reports that the Cherries, who are poised to lose Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City in a £65million deal, are among the Premier League clubs looking to bring in Nwaneri. He would serve as a like-for-like replacement for Semenyo and has proven he can be effective in the top flight.
Other clubs have registered an interest, but there is no plan to let the teenager leave permanently. Nwaneri enjoyed plenty of minutes last term and looked set to continue his upward trajectory, which he hinted at when he signed his new deal in the summer, but that has not proven to be the case.
He had said he was "very excited. I see this as my first real season, and part of a proper squad". Nwaneri talked up what he could bring as he claimed: “I'm a very versatile player, so I think I'm going to play anywhere across the front five."
We're halfway into the season though and the Arsenal youngster is yet to start a game in the league. He's made six appearances, but all of those from the bench. His only starts - of which there are three - have come in the Carabao Cup and the Champions League.
Ultimately Nwaneri's progress has been impacted by the club's summer activity. They signed Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke - two men who play in the wide berths but equally can play centrally. They came in for more than £100million and leapt ahead of Nwaneri in the pecking order. That is as well as the likes of Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.
Eberechi Eze's arrival has hampered the development of their teenager
Eberechi Eze's arrival has hampered the development of their teenager
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(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
The club are conscious that their youngest-ever player needs consistent senior minutes to continue his development and will sanction a move away if it is their best interests. Last season Joe Cole compared Nwaneri to Lionel Messi such was his ability to glide past players whilst he never seemed overawed by any occasion.
Arsenal are in a similar scenario with Myles Lewis-Skelly. He was a player who enjoyed a swift rise last term, playing in some of Arsenal's biggest games, but has been a far more peripheral figure this season. He wants to go to the World Cup with England and has been told by Thomas Tuchel that he'll need regular football to push his own case.
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