The mood around Arsenal doesn’t feel quite as comfortable as it did a few weeks ago. The results are still arriving, but the performances haven’t always matched them, and that disconnect is becoming harder to ignore. Arsenal sit top of both the Premier League and the Champions League, yet there have been games where the sharpness has gone missing for stretches. At the same time, Manchester City are beginning to find their rhythm again, with Phil Foden starting to look closer to his usual self. That contrast has crept into the background noise around Arsenal’s attack and is bringing a question Arteta may soon have to face head-on.
ODEGAARD AND EZE SO FAR
Neither Martin Odegaard nor Eberechi Eze are having a poor season, and that needs saying first. Both have delivered moments that show why Arteta trusts them. The issue is not quality, but consistency and availability.
Eze arrived with a lot of excitement, and when things click he can still look impossible to handle. The hat-trick against Tottenham and that acrobatic finish against his former club were moments that reminded everyone why Arsenal wanted him. But there have been quieter nights too. He was taken off at half-time away at Aston Villa, and against Wolves his influence slipped away earlier than it should have. A few games have drifted past him, which wasn’t really expected when the season began.
Odegaard’s situation is different. His problem has been availability rather than form. The captain has played just 620 minutes across 13 appearances and missed over two months through injury. When fit, his value is clear, but repeated layoffs have left him short of rhythm. Both players remain important, but neither should feel untouchable.
ARSENAL’S ANSWER TO FODEN
If Arsenal have their own version of Phil Foden, the name is clear: Ethan Nwaneri. This is not about claiming he is already at that level, but about profile and potential, and the type of impact he can bring when games begin to slow.
Nwaneri is naturally an attacking midfielder, but he doesn’t really play like someone tied to one position. He’s happy drifting out wide, driving inside with the ball, or taking it in tight spaces when things get crowded. That freedom in his game is similar to how Phil Foden looked early on, with both coming through top academies and both clearly wanting to play on the front foot whenever they get the chance.
The numbers back up the impression without needing to push it too hard. Last season, the teenager scored nine goals and picked up two assists in just over 1,300 minutes of football. That’s a goal involvement roughly every 125 minutes, which stands out on its own, even before factoring in his age or the level he’s playing at.
More important than the data is his intent. Nwaneri wants to affect the game. He looks to break lines, take shots, and force defenders into decisions. Where Odegaard often slows the tempo and Eze can drift in and out, Nwaneri plays with urgency. That directness gives Arteta a different option, and one that could change the feel of games that begin to stall.
🔴⚪️✨ Ethan Nwaneri, Man of the Match for Arsenal in Premier League… he’s still 17.
Arteta: “He’s unbelievable. When he touches that ball, special things happen. He just made things happen. What a beautiful cross…”. pic.twitter.com/pglrspPj9S
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 15, 2025
A DECISION ARTETA MAY NEED TO MAKE
Arteta has usually trusted experience, and in truth that approach has paid off more often than not. It has helped Arsenal stay organised, control games and remain consistent over the last few seasons. Still, there are moments in a campaign when matches call for something a bit different. When games slow down and patterns settle, energy and invention can matter more than structure, and this feels like one of those stretches.
Giving Nwaneri more minutes would not be a gamble so much as a shift in emphasis. It would change the tone of Arsenal’s attack and introduce unpredictability when matches begin to flatten out. Eze and Odegaard would still have important roles to play, but genuine competition sharpens standards. If Nwaneri does become Arsenal’s version of Phil Foden, it will be because Arteta chose to trust that spark at the right moment.
AUTHOR’S INSIGHT
This feels less like a risk and more like timing. Arsenal do not need to drop Odegaard or Eze permanently. They need energy and intent when games slow. Nwaneri offers that. The longer he waits, the harder that decision becomes to justify.
As featured on GoonerNews.com