The Arsenal academy has been home to some Premier League greats, with players such as Ashley Cole, Martin Keown and Jack Wilshere all coming through the ranks of the north London club.
In recent times, their academy has been no different and has often produced stellar talent, with many of their academy players making their way into the first team.
Most notable of those who have gone all the way from the youth set-up to the senior squad in recent times is that of Bukayo Saka. Although the winger spent some of his youth within Watford's academy, the vast majority of his development came whilst at Arsenal.
Another player who may spring into the mind of football fans in regard to academy players is that of Ethan Nwaneri.
The midfielder is just 16-years-old and is currently making a name for himself within Arsenal's senior squad. For a player of his age, this is unheard of as, more often than not, 16-year-olds are nowhere near ready for playing at a senior level, never mind in one of the world's most physical leagues.
#1 Ethan Nwaneri
15 years, 5 months, 28 days
2022: Brentford
#2 Cesc Fabregas
16 years, 5 months, 24 days
2003: Rotherham
#3 Jack Wilshere
16 years, 8 months, 12 days
2008: Blackburn
#4 Jermaine Pennant
16 years, 10 months, 15 days
1999: Middlesbrough
#5 Paul Vaessen
16 years, 11 months, 11 days
1978: Lokomotive Leipzig
#6 Ryan Smith
16 years, 11 months, 18 days
2003: Rotherham
#7 Gedion Zelalem
16 years, 11 months, 29 days
2014: Coventry
#8 Armand Traore
17 years, 16 days
2006: West Brom
However, the youngster is proving the doubters wrong and is showing that he is capable of owning a first-team spot for the Gunners.
Nwaneri's season in numbers so far
As per Transfermarkt, in the 2022/23 season, Nwaneri made his Premier League debut for Mikel Arteta's side and, in turn, became the youngest ever player to play in England's top flight at the age of 15 years and 181 days.
At the time, this made headlines and showcased how much Arteta believed in the youngster's ability to impress.
He has also just played his first game of the 2023/24 season during Arsenal's 6-0 thumping of fellow Londoners, West Ham. Arteta did, however, admit he had his players saying 'bring Ethan in' towards the end of the game.
"There is something that you have to earn in your team and that is the trust of your team-mates," Arteta said. "I had two things. One, the players on the bench whispering ‘Bring Ethan in!’, which is a great thing to hear. The other thing is for your teammates to give you the ball all the time."
This not only shows how highly his fellow teammates think of him, it also shows that his skill level is similar to that of the squad's senior players.
In regard to his youth performances this season, Nwaneri has played ten times for Arsenal's academy sides and has managed a total of 14 goal contributions thus far. The majority of his goals have come from the FA Youth Cup so far, with five coming in just one game.
However, Nwaneri isn't the only Arsenal youth prospect who is playing well this season.
Arsenal's biggest talent after Nwaneri
Described as a "special talent" by reporter, Phil Smith, Charlie Patino's development within Arsenal's youth set-up has been well documented by both the media and fans alike.
Currently, on loan at Swansea, the midfielder has spent the last two seasons away from Arsenal's academy in order to get some first-team experience in the Championship.
Plying his trade in Wales on a temporary spell, the youngster has played 26 games across all competitions for the Swans thus far.
During those matches, he has contributed to eight goals and has cemented himself in the starting XI. If this run of form continues until the end of the season, the midfielder has stated that he wants to play in Arsenal's first-team.
"Everyone’s journey is different," he said. "Bukayo Saka went straight from academy to first-team, Eddie Nketiah went on a few loans, Emile Smith Rowe went on a few loans, so everyone’s journey is different.
"But ultimately, it’s about getting to where you want to get to, and that’s the same for me. I want to play in the first team at Arsenal and being here is a massive pathway to help me do that."
The Englishman's aspirations are admirable but he has already achieved one major goal; scoring for the Gunners. He did so on debut back in 2021 against Sunderland as an 18-year-old. That is a feat yet to be accomplished by the aforementioned Nwaneri who is still very much lagging behind Patino in terms of his senior development.
If the now 20-year-old's further goals can be met with talent on the pitch, then, next season, we could well see the youngster explode onto the scene potentially ahead of Nwaneri, who undoubtedly needs more experience before he can be thrown into the mix on a regular basis.
