At the age of 15 years and 181 days, Ethan Nwaneri made Premier League history over the weekend. The Englishman made his debut for Arsenal in the game in Brentford as the youngest professional in the history of the league. A German world champion helped the youngster to make this leap.
The Englishman with Nigerian roots comes from the Gunners’ youth academy. The main person responsible for this department is Per Mertesacker – the former Arsenal captain had warmly recommended the talent to coach Mikel Arteta.
With a 2-0 win over Brentford, Arsenal jumped back to the top of the table despite major injury concerns. It was precisely the tense personnel situation that made Nwaneri’s debut possible: with Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Reiss Nelson, three midfield players were missing.
Lucky for the home-grown player, which finally came into play for Fabio Vieira in the 92nd minute. The effort saw Nwaneri edge out previous record holder Haryey Elliott, who made his Fulham debut in May 2019 aged 16 years and 30 days.
Often young players on the Arsenal bench
Coach Mikel Arteta is known for giving young players a chance. The Gunners’ bench is often occupied by youngsters.
“We want to create opportunities when the talent is there and when they are players who love what they do so much and are not afraid. The doors are open to see where they can go,” said the Spain coach at the post-game press conference.
The decision to use the 15-year-old was made instinctively: “It was a gut feeling. I met the boy and really liked what I saw. Per Mertesacker and the academy staff gave me really good information about him. “
Arteta was also full of praise after the game: “The boy only has to look you in the eye and he’s ready. He’s a great talent that we want to keep.”
Special Rules: Separate cabin for Nwaneri
With Nwaneri legally still a child, Arsenal FC had to comply with child protection regulations ahead of the game. As the English “Times” reports, the 15-year-old talent had to change in a separate cabin away from the team.
Premier League icon reacts in astonishment
Premier League star and “BT Sport” expert Michael Owen was also amazed after the record debut: “I look at him and think: How can that be? Unbelievable. He must have shown a lot. I know that Arsenal had a lot of injuries but to put a 15-year-old on the bench and then bring him in, that has to mean something.”
After the entry in the history book, however, everyday life is back on the agenda for Nwaneri: “He has school tomorrow morning,” said Arteta after the game.