Arsenal have suffered more injury blows during the international break and a few key players remain a doubt for the game against Bournemouth. Mikel Arteta will find it difficult to find the right personnel to play. With games against Liverpool, Newcastle, and Chelsea on their way, it looks like someone has to step up in the coming weeks. Ethan Nwaneri is the first name that comes into my mind when thinking about the kind of player Arsenal will need if anyone of Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli misses the next few weeks due to injury.
Kai and Trossard have played the forward and the number ten role in different matches, but they are very different from Martin Odegaard. Ethan Nwaneri on the other hand is a confident young player with the kind of vision and creativity that only Odegaard has shown at the club.
Ethan Nwaneri is the only attacking midfielder left
Arsenal without Odegaard in the past were dreadful, but the story this time around is very different. The Gunners haven’t lost a game without their captain and have managed to score in every game except the one against Atalanta. Even though they have shown that they can be great without Odegaard but with new injury concerns during the international break it looks like a handful of key players might not start this weekend against Bournemouth. This raises the question which youngster can Mikel Arteta count on to start the game?
The academy player who should start is Ethan Nwaneri. He is the best prospect at Arsenal at the moment and he has proved that a few times. Scoring a brace in his first full debut, becoming the youngest Arsenal player ever, and winning Premier League 2 Player Of The Year in 2022, he has done a lot to show that he is the real deal. He is extremely talented with the ball on his feet and is the most natural replacement for Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal have no other natural attacking midfielder in the squad other than Odegaard and Nwaneri. Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson are at Fulham, ESR was once viewed as a future superstar, someone who along with Bukayo Saka will be the face of this rebuild. Unfortunately for him and the club, things never worked out due to his injuries. Fabio Viera is also at Porto now so the only player at the club who can play the Odegaard role is Ethan Nwaneri.
Why he should start against Bournemouth
Kai Havertz was at Arsenal during the international break. He did not travel with the national team amid some minor injury concerns. The German is nursing a small issue and is expected to be back for the Bournemouth match. He and Leandro Trossard, who was essential for Belgium during the break, have played the number ten spot during Odegaard’s absence. But with doubts around the availability of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli up in the air, it looks like Ethan Nwaneri could start as the number ten. Havertz, Trossard, and Sterling (if Saka doesn’t get back) might start as the front three with Nwaneri right behind.
The Bournemouth game will be a good test for Ethan Nwaneri. The Cherries have started the season with a mixed bag of results. They are currently thirteenth on the table, one position above Manchester United on goal difference. Other than the Leicester game, they have lost the games you would expect them to and won the matches they should’ve won.
The reason why I believe this is a good fixture for Ethan Nwaneri is because The Cherries haven’t kept a single clean sheet this season. This means that they aren’t a good defensive team and Nwaneri, given that he starts and gets some sort of attacking return will gain a lot of momentum and confidence going into the game against Liverpool next weekend. Playing at The Vitality Stadium will help Arsenal test how good Ethan Nwaneri is against a premier league team.
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