Arsenal are set to offer Ethan Nwaneri a ‘huge” new contract in a show of faith.
This is according to former Man United and Tottenham scout Mick Brown.
Brown revealed to Football Insider that the Gunners are looking to replicate the path Bukayo Saka took to becoming their star player.
Nwaneri, 17, put pen to paper on his first professional deal with the Gunners in March, and is already in line to receive an extended deal with a bumper pay rise.
Nwaneri represented England’s Under-19s side during the international break and caught the eye with his displays, scoring in both classes against Portugal and France.
He has also been heavily involved with Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad so far this season, featuring three times including playing 90 minutes in the League Cup as he scored a brace against Bolton.
The talented youngster has been named in the squad for all seven of the Gunners’ Premier League games so far this season, as well as in both of their Champions League fixtures.
As a result of the promise he has shown coming through the youth levels and into the first team, Arsenal now want to reward him with a big-money deal which better represents his worth.
Nwaneri also became the youngest-ever Premier League player and the first 15-year-old ever to feature in the league after coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 win against Brentford in 2022.
Brown, who spent over a decade at United during their most successful spell and also worked as Sir Alex Ferguson’s number two, explained that promoting Nwaneri to a more regular role will allow them to save money and reinvest elsewhere.
“I’ve heard they want to give him a huge new contract,” he told Football Insider.
“And he’ll be worth the money as well, because what would it cost to bring in a similar player in the transfer market?
“When you’ve got a player like him, where he’s come through their academy system, it’s so valuable.
“They rate him very highly at Arsenal and they’ll want to help his development as much as possible.
“If that means tying him down to a new deal to show their faith in him and show that he has a future in the first team, then that can only be a good thing.
“On top of that, it’ll save them plenty of money in other areas.
“They’ve seen with Saka how valuable it can be to put faith in their academy players, and from what I’ve heard, they’ve got every belief he can be just as important.”
