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.
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