Gunners boss Mikel Arteta

THE noise surrounding Ethan Nwaneri is only going to keep getting louder after the teenager once again caught the eye in Arsenal colours.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta declared the 17-year-old “is ready” after watching the attack-minded midfielder bag a brace against Bolton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

“He’s improving daily,” Arteta said following Nwaneri’s standout display in the 5-1 victory.

“You can tell he’s playing without pressure, with confidence, with a way of making decisions that tells you that the boy is ready at this level.

“Today he had a really strong performance and I’m happy to see that. There’s a lot of positives to take from it: first of all the performance and then the way we scored the goals.

“It’s another step. He’s ahead of what anyone could expect. Since he joined in with the first-team, he’s always ahead of what we expected, of what I expected. He deserves that, he is part of us, and he will have the minutes.”

Supporters certainly like what they’ve seen so far, with large swathes at the Emirates Stadium in midweek singing: “Ethan Nwaneri, he’s one of our own.” It didn’t go unnoticed by the Hale End academy graduate.

“It’s a great feeling when the club you love, the club you’ve grown up with, the fans are chanting that,” said Nwaneri.

“It’s a surreal feeling. It’s a feeling I’ve wanted to feel for almost 16 years of my life, so to actually feel it, it’s crazy… I just want more of it. All of those players that I’ve played with since I’ve been, like, nine and now we’re on the big pitch together, it’s a crazy feeling. You know, it’s good.”

Nwaneri is expected to be back on the bench tomorrow (Saturday) when the Gunners host Leicester City.

Arsenal’s No 53 is relishing being in and around the first-team, and is making the most of training alongside more experienced players.

Nwaneri said: “It’s been intense but I think it’s definitely helped me as a player, helped me to see what it’s like, how they prepare. I think I’ve added that to my game, so definitely it’s been good to be around them players. One hundred per cent I think there’s a perfect balance for when they’re on me and kind of telling me what to do, but definitely I think they put an arm around me as well, so I think it’s a good balance.”

Arteta echoed those views, adding that the academy players are benefiting from being around the club’s senior stars.

He said: “I think the [academy] boys feel really comfortable with them because it’s a magnificent group of players and they can be themselves. If they have any fears, they can ask questions and they will be happy to help. And it’s great that they [the senior players] show that leadership as well, and that sense of caring, which is important. We all need it at some stage in our careers.”