Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri was the star of the show as the England U21s beat Moldova in their European Championships qualifier.
The teenager, still only 18, is a full member of the Arsenal first-team squad, and he has made five appearances in all competitions so far this season.
On the international front, Nwaneri has only been a part of the England U21s, and he impressed once again on Friday night.
The Arsenal academy graduate assisted two of the Young Lions’ four goals and played a major part in winning a penalty as well.
Gooners are blown away by his performance, and they have sent a message to Mikel Arteta now.
Photo by Vasile Mihai-Antonio – The FA/The FA via Getty ImagesArsenal fans want more game time for Ethan Nwaneri after his England U21s heroics
Martin Odegaard has suffered an injury, and Nwaneri is the like-for-like replacement for the skipper in the right-sided number eight role.
Arsenal fans were amazed by the 18-year-old’s display for the England U21s, and they are all urging Arteta to give him more minutes in that role.
Ethan Nwaneri cooked today for the U21s, the kid deserves more game time in the Starting XI especially now that Ø is recuperating.
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙂🔴⭕𝙣𝙚𝙧™ (@AllDayRodgers) October 10, 2025
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One Arsenal fan tweeted: “Nwaneri is our only forward who constantly makes forward passes under any circumstances. Always trying to find the player in front of the goal. That’s the kind of 10 that can work well with Gyokeres. He should start for us against Fulham”
Another wrote: “He has to start Right 8 with Odegaard out injured. Let him have the freedom that Odegaard had when he got back. Nwaneri-Rice-Eze midfield!”
“Arsenal have a super talent, and Arteta should unleash him. Odegaard’s recurring injury this season could be a sign for Arteta to trust Nwaneri to play,” said another.
Another Gooner posted: “Mikel Arteta has to start finding a way to get Ethan Nwaneri more minutes. The kid is too good to just sit on the sidelines. Tonight (Friday night), he picked up two assists as England U21s smashed Moldova 4–0, showing once again he’s got the vision, confidence, and maturity well beyond his age. He’s not just “one for the future” anymore; he’s ready to make an impact now. We’ve really got something special on our hands.”
“Nwaneri is the closest thing we’ll get to Lionel Messi. It’s a privilege to watch him play the sport,” wrote another.
He’s insane. I wish we get to see him more often this season.
Eze LCM/LW
Nwaneri RCM
I want to see it a couple of times.
— 🇵🇸. (@The_ArsenalFan1) October 10, 2025
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Mikel Arteta won’t get a better opportunity to play Ethan Nwaneri
Nwaneri signed a new contract at Arsenal recently, and he would’ve hoped for consistent game time.
With Odegaard now injured, Arteta should give the teenager more opportunities, especially with favourable fixtures coming up.
Arsenal’s next four games in the Premier League are against teams that either finished in the bottom half of the table or were in the Championship last season.
There are no easy fixtures in the English top-flight, but we think Nwaneri is more than good enough to have an impact against all of the teams Arsenal will play in the coming weeks.