Arsenal already have wonderkid in their ranks who is tipped to ‘be better than Lamine Yamal’

Arsenal prodigy Ethan Nwaneri has been tipped to outshine Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, but there's a catch – he must remain consistent. The teenage sensation made history when he stepped onto the pitch against Brentford in September 2022, becoming the youngest-ever Premier League player at just 15 years and 181 days old.

This season, Nwaneri is no longer just a record holder; he is now making plenty of appearances in his debut season with the first team. The winger has been grabbing chances given by boss Mikel Arteta with both hands, especially as Arsenal faced an injury onslaught.

Star players like Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli have been sidelined for periods of time this season, giving the youngster a chance to shine on the pitch.

Stepping into Saka's position on the wing is no easy feat, but Nwaneri has been turning heads at Arsenal - with eight goals and a couple of assists to his name in all competitions so far.

With only Saka and Havertz netting more than him this season, Nwaneri shares the third spot for club goals with Mikel Merino.

Ex-Arsenal star Emmanuel Eboue has been full of praise for the teenager, as he told AceOdds: "I've watched them do really well this year," and adding, "Ethan is a very good player. The Arsenal academy is doing a great job. Ethan comes off the bench and makes an impact every time. He's very quick and technically gifted."

It's clear that if Nwaneri keeps up the hard work, the sky's the limit for this Arsenal starlet - but the grind has to be constant for him to continue excelling at the club.

Eboue said: "Ethan has to keep working hard. He's still young, and him and Lewis-Skelly need to put in the hard work. People will be watching them to see if they can deliver consistently over time."

Eboue's confidence in Nwaneri's potential is very high, as he even claimed that Ethan could outshine Yamal – who is currently turning heads at Barcelona and for Spain at just 17 years old.

"For example, Yamal is young but performs every week. I think Ethan can be better than Yamal if he works hard and respects the game," he asserted.

"When I was at Arsenal, I saw some brilliant young players like Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. People said they'd be the best in the world, but football changes quickly. Soon, people stopped talking about them.

"If you joke with football, football will joke with you. I hope Ethan and Lewis-Skelly work very hard. I will pray for them, because I want them to become the best."

With Nwaneri earmarked as a future major player for Arsenal, rumours have circulated that contract renewal discussions are imminent.

Given that his contract winds down next season, tying down Nwaneri in the long term will surely be a priority for the club’s hierarchy.

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