Thursday, 27 March 2025

 


Nigeria Battles England For Arsenal Prodigy, Ethan Nwaneri


Egg heads at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are currently locked in a fierce battle with England over the international future of Arsenal prodigy, Ethan Nwaneri.

The 18-year-old is facing a major decision over his international future. He has enjoyed an impressive breakthrough season at Arsenal, scoring eight goals and providing one assist in 28 matches.

Nwaneri has since been fast-tracked through the England youth system, making his first start for the Under 21s against Portugal on Monday. He stood out, netting their first goal in a 4-2 win. It was a trademark finish from the teenager as he cut in from the right before curling an inch-perfect shot into the bottom corner.

There has been talk that Nwaneri could be next in line for a senior England call-up after Phil Foden and Jarrod Bowen struggled in his position during the international break. Nwaneri's Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka is first-choice in that area but he hasn't featured since December after undergoing hamstring surgery.

Although Nwaneri has been playing for England throughout the age groups, he is expected to have a huge decision to make over his long-term international future. Investigation at the NFF office in Abuja indicate that Nigeria have 'launched a bid' to lure Nwaneri away from the Three Lions and convince him to change his allegiance.

It's claimed that high-ranking officials from the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) plan to meet with the youngster's family and make their case. Nwaneri's father is Nigerian and is eligible to play for the Super Eagles.

In recent years, Nigeria have secured the services of Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey, Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi, despite all of them being eligible to play for England. It's hoped that Nigeria can make Nwaneri their next acquisition, as they look to build a squad ready for the 2026 World Cup.

But former Nigerian international Sam Sodje believes the nation's football federation will have a tough job convincing Nwaneri to move from England. "He's a fantastic talent," the ex-Charlton man was quoted as saying. "I watched him play against Brentford, and I was very impressed.

"However, convincing him to choose Nigeria over England will be a challenge. The English FA is also keen on keeping him, and they won't let such a talent slip away easily. But in football, you never know."


Nwaneri made his debut for England U21s as a late substitute against France last Friday. He followed that up with playing 73 minutes in the win over Portugal and Lee Carsley is delighted with his progress. In fact, Carsley insisted that he will be regular contact with Arsenal to monitor Nwaneri's development.

"But what we have to keep remembering, [is that] he's 18 [years old], like [it is] unbelievable. So we just have to encourage these guys, it's important the rest of the team support him as well because I'm not sure it's always gonna be as progressive as it is," Carsley said.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The snoop

My photo
LAGOS, LAGOS, Nigeria
Snoop Communications Limited is a Nigerian registered company under the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1, 1990. (RC.......)