West Ham United are reportedly ‘keen’ on signing Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, as per Football London.
After coming through the Hale End academy, he received his first shot at senior football back in 2022 at just 15 years old, becoming the youngest player ever to feature in the Premier League.
However, he initially struggled to find regular game time under Mikel Arteta before playing regularly amid Bukayo Saka’s lengthy injury absence last campaign.
The midfielder decided to commit his long-term future at the Emirates Stadium by signing an extension until 2030 last summer. However, following Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke’s arrival, the 18-year-old has struggled to break into Arteta’s starting line-up thus far this season.
The Englishman hasn’t started any game in the Premier League, and has commenced only four matches across the other three cup competitions. So, speculation surrounding his future has started emerging in this winter transfer window.
Now, Football London report that West Ham are ‘keen’ on signing Nwaneri by taking advantage of his current situation and have already enquired about the possibility of signing him on loan until the end of this season.
Apart from the East London club, AFC Bournemouth are also interested in him as a potential replacement for Antoine Semenyo, who has joined Manchester City this month.
Nwaneri to West Ham
However, the report state that Arsenal have no intention of letting Nwaneri leave and don’t believe he needs a loan to develop. Arteta has no intention of weakening his squad in mid-season as they have been aiming to challenge on all fronts.
Nwaneri, valued at around £35m by Transfermarkt, is a left-footed creative midfielder by trait but can also provide cover on the right flank. He is comfortable with his wrong foot, is technically sound, can dribble past opposition defenders in tight areas, and also has an eye for scoring goals from distance.
Having endured a dire first half of this season, West Ham are scrambling to reinforce the squad this month to hand Nuno Espirito Santo the necessary tools to survive relegation.
They have already signed Pablo Vicente and Taty Castellanos after letting Niclas Fullkrug leave. Moreover, the East London club are seemingly looking for a new creative midfielder as Lucas Paqueta has been pushing to leave.
