Chelsea set to miss out on Premier League breakout star they’ve wanted since 2022 | OneFootball

One of the less likely rumours we have heard in the last few years was the chatter in the summer of 2023 that Chelsea were keen on Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri.

That came around way back in December 2022, and then was repeated in the summer of 2023.

We did indeed hoover up a vast amount of young talent from all over the world, but Nwaneri wasn’t among them. He’s since gone from strength to strength. After a controversial debut a a 15 year old, he remained part of Mikel Arteta’s plans at Arsenal and this season took advantage of a spate of injuries to become a first team regular for the Gunners.

The fact that he’s still on a very modest contract has meant that the likes of Man City and Chelsea have continued to be links, but even those connections are soon to be dismissed.

According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal are close to agreeing a 5 year contract with the now 18 year old so secure his future. Gunners fans will be able to breathe deeply at last when that happens.

Chelsea miss out on one talent – but have plenty more to come in

Ethan Nwaneri as a youngster.

While Mikel Arteta’s team have had a down year, they still look in a prime position to challenge for trophies in the years to come, and their project looks far more developed than ours. As a kid who came through their academy, it’s no surprise Nwaneri wants to stay.

Chelsea already have attacking superstar youth talents like Estevao Willian, and Kendry Paez and Geovany Quenda coming in over the next couple of years, so there will be no shortage of talents on their books either. It’s just a pity we didn’t break the bank to get Nwaneri way back in 2022, when we might have been able to manage it.