Ethan Nwaneri: A teen living the Arsenal dream | Feature | News

How difficult is it for you to remain level-headed when there is such excitement surrounding you from our supporters?

I just know and I see where I want to be, and where I’m going to be, and I focus on that. Nobody has really seen anything from me yet, just a small snippet of what’s to come, so I’ve got a much bigger picture in my mind that I want to work towards.

Tell us a bit about your Arsenal journey so far.

I joined the academy when I was eight, but I was in the pre-academy before that, so I’ve been here all my life basically. I’ve always been a midfielder – I haven’t really changed position much. Around under-14s and under-15s I played as a striker a bit more, and that was good for my development because I really improved my finishing then.

I played a bit as a defensive midfielder too in my under-16 season, and right wing, left wing, too. That all added a lot to my game. But I’d say attacking midfield is my best position, and where I would like to be long-term.

Which coaches have been important for you in your career so far?

I’ve had loads through my time here. Dan Micciche, Adam Birchall, Jack Wilshere, Mehmet Ali, Max Porter – I’ve had so many, and also those when I was really young.

My dad, Obi, coaches me and my brother, Emerson, who’s 14 and at Hale End. I’d say my dad is my main coach, my main critic and my main support. Over the years he’s always taken me and my brother to do extra work in our local park in Islington, to help with finishing, working on our touch or whatever. We live local to Emirates Stadium so it’s great that we’ve done that.

Tell us about your brother Emerson…

He’s a midfielder but he can play right back as well. He’s in the under-15s this year. We’re really close, but I wouldn’t say we are that similar. He’s probably more outgoing than me – he’s the loud one! There are three years between us so it would be really cool if we could both play in the Arsenal first-team together one day. We’ve spoken about that a bit and what that would be like, it’s something to aim for.