Arsenal have been hit with several huge injury blows in recent weeks that have left Mikel Arteta with little to choose from when selecting his attacking options in matches.
Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Gabriel Martinelli are all out injured for the foreseeable future, and the Gunners did not swoop to bring in any reinforcements during the January transfer window.
|
Arsenal’s current injuries |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Expected return |
Games missed (including predicted absence) |
|
Gabriel Jesus |
ACL |
August 31st 2025 |
21 |
|
Bukayo Saka |
Hamstring |
April 1st 2025 |
18 |
|
Kai Havertz |
Hamstring |
June 30th 2025 |
14 |
|
Gabriel Martinelli |
Hamstring |
Unknown |
1 |
|
Takehiro Tomiyasu |
Knee |
Unknown |
29 |
Whilst it remains to be seen how the London giants will resolve their issue in the number nine position, the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri has helped to deal with the loss of Saka to injury.
The 17-year-old whiz, who turns 18 in March, has emerged as a genuine first-team option for Arteta this season, with some eye-catching performances on the right flank.
Ethan Nwaneri’s emergence this season
Nwaneri made his Premier League debut at the age of 15 years and 181 days against Brentford in September 2022, which made him the youngest player in the history of the division.
Two seasons later the England U19 international has become a regular in the senior set-up. He has made 24 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions this season, including 15 outings in the top-flight.
|
24/25 Premier League |
Ethan Nwaneri |
|---|---|
|
Appearances (starts) |
15 (4) |
|
xG |
0.74 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
xA |
1.01 |
|
Assists |
1 |
As you can see in the table above, Nwaneri has produced four direct goal contributions in four starts in the Premier League, with his latest being an assist for Mikel Merino in the 2-0 win over Leicester at the weekend.
The teenage sensation, who has scored seven goals in all competitions, may soon have another incredible teenage talent alongside him in the first-team, as Arsenal have 15-year-old Max Dowman rapidly rising through the ranks.
Arsenal could hit gold with Max Dowman
Arteta, as he already has with Nwaneri, could hit the jackpot by unearthing the young attacking midfielder in the coming seasons, as he is emerging as an incredible prospect who could be as good as the current first-team academy graduate.
Back in November, Fabrizio Romano reported that the then-14-year-old was already training with the first-team at Arsenal, and that the club consider him to be a “huge” talent.
In the same month, analyst Ben Mattinson claimed that Dowman has stood out at U19 and U21 level, despite his incredibly young age, and described his talent as “insane”, whilst he added that it would not be a surprise for him to make his debut this season and beat Nwaneri’s Premier League record.
The 15-year-old starlet has already made his U21 debut and has racked up three goals and two assists in eight appearances for the U18s this season, which shows that the youngster is starring well above his age bracket.
Dowman is shining in the academy and has clearly caught Arteta’s attention, hence why he has been in first-team training as young as 14, which is why he could be as big of a talent as Nwaneri, who has emerged in the senior set-up at the age of 17.
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It is now down to the manager to plot the perfect pathway to the first-team for the left-footed playmaker, who is yet to make his senior bow, to ensure that the club can strike gold with the teenage ace, who could eventually become a regular for the Spanish tactician in the future.
