Manchester City and Arsenal have a lot of connections, and a fair bit in common, this season especially.
Both Manchester City and Arsenal have had to watch Liverpool storm the Premier League this season, although the Gunners have certainly had the better overall season than Pep Guardiola’s season.
Pep’s former City understudy Mikel Arteta has Arsenal in 2nd place of the Premier League table and waiting for Liverpool to slip up, though they may be left waiting until next season. Man City meanwhile are down in 5th and 10 points behind Arsenal, and a staggering 22 behind Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
Man City are now focussing on the FA Cup with a quarter-final clash against Bournemouth coming up next. That and trying to finish in 4th place of the league, though with several teams in that particular race, it’s going to be hard.
This March international break has been a blessing for City who last time out drew 2-2 with Brighton in the league. It’s also been a chance for James McAtee to get some minutes under his belt.
Photo by Cameron Smith - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Photo by Cameron Smith – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
James McAtee raves about Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri
McAtee has had a very tough season with Man City. The 22-year-old has played 21 games in all competitions this season but only 10 times in the Premier League, albeit scoring twice. In the January transfer window, McAtee had transfer interest from elsewhere but Pep kept him at the Etihad, seemingly reluctant to lose the City academy graduate.
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Now on England U21s duty, McAtee scored and assisted in a 5-3 defeat against France, then coming off the bench in the 4-2 win over Portugal on Monday night. But all the talk has been about Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri, who was on the scoresheet against Portugal this week.
Speaking to Daily Mail, McAtee has admitted how he’s been blown away by the 18-year-old Nwaneri in England training this international break, saying: “He’s a class player and in training he’s been unbelievable.
“I’m so impressed with him. I was doing finishing drills with him the other day & he was ridiculous, he wasn’t missing! I was struggling to get them in and he just wasn’t missing, both feet as well. He’s a world class player.”
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The England U21 stars who may be of interest to Man City this summer
Nwaneri is certainly a hot prospect and someone who Arteta who will surely try to bed into his first-team, and develop into another world class academy product like Bukayo Saka.
But there’s others in the Young Lions set up who could follow the same path, and maybe even do so at the Etihad, with the likes of Adam Wharton and Liam Delap both featuring for England U21s this month; City are linked with a return for Delap this season whilst it’s claimed that Man City want a summer deal for Wharton at Crystal Palace.
There’s a handful former City gems in the set up too, like Delap and also CJ Egan-Riley, highlighting how City have let go some really good young players in the past.
Maybe it’s time for Pep to start giving them all some more game time.