Paul Merson has been hearing ‘whispers’ about the talent of Arsenal wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri.
Still only 17 years old, Arsenal’s youngest-ever player made his fourth senior appearance for the club in Wednesday’s 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers in the EFL Cup.
Nwaneri enjoyed an excellent evening, scoring goals two and three as the Gunners ran riot at the Emirates, booking their place in the fourth round.
Read more: Carabao Cup R4 draw: Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool & Spurs’ next opponentsAs noted by Squawka, Nwaneri is the fourth-youngest Arsenal goalscorer in the 21st century at 17 years and 188 days old, behind only Arturo Lupoli (17y 138d), Jack Wilshere (16y 266d) and Cesc Fabregas (16y 212d).
Arsenal's youngest goalscorers in the 21st century:
? 16Y 212D – Cesc Fabregas
? 16Y 266D – Jack Wilshere
? 17Y 138D – Arturo Lupoli
? 17Y 188D – Ethan Nwaneri
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— Squawka (@Squawka) September 25, 2024
Paul Merson discusses Arsenal wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri
Naturally, Nwaneri has been grabbing the headlines with his stunning performance, which also included two chances created, five touches in the opposition box and a 93% pass completion rate.
Former Arsenal and England star Merson has urged Nwaneri to be ‘patient’ as he continues his development, but has admitted he’s been hearing ‘whispers’ about the talented teenager.
“Arsenal are putting their kids in just at the right time when the team are flying and the players around them are full of confidence,” Merson said (via TBR).
“You still have to get on that pitch and in front of 60,000 people and perform. Fair play to Arsenal and fair play to him, you hear the whispers, the kid is a special player, a special player, he just needs to be patient because he’s at one of the best clubs in the world.”
Top photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images