Ian Wright has picked out one Arsenal player that he believes should be getting more minutes under Mikel Arteta, as the Gunners icon identifies what was ‘majorly missing’ from their defeat by Bournemouth.
Arsenal entered the season as one of the early favourites, tipped to go take it down to the wire for the third season in a row in what was viewed as a two-horse race with Manchester City once more.
Liverpool, though, in the dawn of the Arne Slot era currently lead the way, and face the Gunners next on Sunday, after Arsenal stuttered in a 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium with their form hitting something of a hurdle of late.
With a hugely underwhelming midweek 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, questions have been raised over Arteta’s team selection – in particular surrounding those who are being left out.
‘When I saw [Mikel] Merino, [Thomas] Partey and [Declan] Rice – I was thinking [Ethan] Nwaneri, the youngster,’ said Wright, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
Ian Wright believes that Mikel Arteta needed to get Ethan Nwaneri involved in Arsenal’s clash with Bournemouth
Nwaneri played 90 minutes against Bolton in the Carabao Cup – his only start so far this season
The youngster brings dynamism and creativity to the midfield but has found pathways hard to come by
‘Against Bournemouth, you need someone who can do something [in the middle] and create something, because that’s what was majorly missing.
‘We needed someone to beat someone with the ball – I would have taken a chance on him – I would have had Merino, Rice and Nwaneri playing in there [the No 10], to have something different.’
Nwaneri has widely been tipped as one of the best talents to come out of the Gunners’ Hale End academy since the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.
An exciting attacking midfielder, Nwaneri would bring dynamism and energy to a midfield three that has looked short of creativity in the absence of the injured Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal’s chosen trio against Shakhtar Donetsk was comprised of three midfielders considered more deep-lying in Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey, with a shortage of invention clear to see.
Yet while Nwaneri made history as the youngest Premier League player in history when he made his debut back in 2022, against Brentford, he has struggled to make his way onto the field on a regular basis.
Arteta’s is one of the youngest squads in the league, with Partey a comparative veteran at 31 compared to the likes of Saka (23), William Saliba (23), Rice (25) and Gabriel Martinelli (23).
However he has shown an apparent unwillingness to put faith in teenagers coming through the ranks in the last few seasons.
Wright has called for more minutes to be handed to Nwaneri to ‘bring something different’
Arteta has shown an unwillingness to give time to the teenage stars that he has in the ranks
The likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri have been included regularly in matchday squads this season, although the former has managed only 80 minutes this term – 62 of which came in a Carabao Cup thrashing of Bolton.
The topic has shown early signs of becoming an issue among some fans, and there could potentially be knock-on effects with regard to the perception among youngsters about the pathways available to them.
Highly-rated midfielder Charlie Patino left over the summer after growing frustrated by the lack of route to the first team, while Chido Obi-Martin joined Manchester United – a team that are inarguably behind Arsenal right now – over the summer.
The Gunners have traditionally been a club that puts faith in youth over the years, though right now their rivals are seemingly miles ahead in that respect.
Ian Wright was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
