EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal to hand Ethan Nwaneri 'history-making' contract

Steve Kay

• Updated: 11 Oct 2024 02:38 CDT
• 3 min read

Exclusive

FootballTransfers understands that Arsenal’s rising star Ethan Nwaneri is poised to make Premier League history by becoming the third-highest-paid teenager in the league come March.

Sources have revealed that preliminary talks are underway regarding a lucrative £60,000-a-week, five-year contract designed to secure his long-term future at the North London club.

This substantial deal will place Nwaneri on par with Manchester United's talented youngster Kobbie Mainoo, who is also expected to sign a £60,000-per-week contract. Mainoo, who currently earns £20,000 a week, is set for a significant pay increase, similar to what Nwaneri is to receive.

READ MORE: Who is Ethan Nwaneri? Arsenal's 17-year-old midfield prodigy

FootballTransfers previously reported that 17-year-old Nwaneri would sign an improved contract upon turning 18 in March. Now, additional details have emerged, with sources close to Arsenal confirming that the club’s hierarchy is determined to tie down the England Under-19 international.

Nwaneri surges into top three

The proposed deal will make Nwaneri one of the best-paid teenagers in Premier League history. For context, the midfielder’s current weekly salary stands at £3,120.

While this deal would put Nwaneri third, the highest-paid teenage footballers in the Premier League currently include Tottenham's Archie Gray, who earns £74,638 a week, and Man Utd's Lenny Yoro, who tops the list with an eye-watering £114,000 per week.

Internally, Nwaneri is seen as comparable to these two precocious summer signings. The Hale End product made his Arsenal debut in 2022 at the tender age of just 15 and he is now getting first-team chances on a more regular basis, having already made more senior appearances this season than in the previous two combined.

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Mikel Arteta is determined to convince young players that they can break into his side after seeing several highly-rated talents such as Chido Obi-Martin, Reuell Walters and Amario Cozier-Duberry leave in the summer.

Arteta's matchday squads in this still-young season have already contained ten different teenagers, with the likes of Jack Porter, Miles Lewis-Skelly and Josh Nichols among the youngsters to be given senior debuts this term.

Handing Nwaneri such a lucrative new deal demonstrates the Gunners' commitment to investing in young talent, as they aim to keep him for the foreseeable future, ensuring his development within their ranks.