Arsenal squad number upgrade spotted after Chelsea and Man City snub as new signing in training

Ethan Nwaneri has been given a brand new number for the forthcoming season. Having previously worn both numbers 83 and 63, he has been given the number 53 which is part of the under-21s setup despite being far younger than this age bracket.

This comes after the England under-17s international recently signed his first professional contract with the club. Arsenal were willing to offer attractive terms to the teenager to ward off interest from plenty of other interested clubs such as Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Nwaneri has already made two league appearances in two seasons including his first against Brentford which made him officially the youngest ever player to make a competitive appearance in the Premier League. At 15 years and 181 days his first appearance would spark a debate surrounding whether Mikel Arteta should have given him such a chance.

However, this was followed up with another substitute appearance in the 6-0 away win over West Ham United. He enjoyed a successful summer with the young Three Lions squad and is now preparing to fight for a place in Arsenal’s senior squad with a major pre-season to come.

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Arteta has faced scrutiny in his handling of Hale End starlets which increased further on Monday with the confirmation that both Amario Cozier-Duberry and Reuell Walters have left the club on a free. There has also been rumours about free-scoring striker Chido Obi-Martin also potentially leaving although that thread has since gone quiet.

Nwaneri is seen as the best of the young stars in the group. Arteta will be under pressure to provide more opportunities to the now 17-year-old with an expanded Champions League format and cup competitions potentially providing that chance.