With Arsenal and FC Porto finalising a deal for midfielder Fabio Vieira to return to Portugal on a season-long loan, it all but confirms that talented youngster Ethan Nwaneri will remain a mainstay in the first-team squad.
Vieira made the €35 million switch from the Dragões to North London in the summer of 2022 but was unable to make an impact for the Gunners and provide stealthy competition for captain Martin Ødegaard.
The midfielder missed 20 games across two seasons with injury problems and scored only two goals in 33 appearances for the club.
Ethan Nwaneri, who was given his debut for the Gunners at 15 against Brentford, was handed a new squad number and featured frequently throughout pre-season. The England U17 international was also a part of the first team's media day duties and was named on the bench for the first two Premier League games.
Having impressed in the academy setup, Mikel Arteta deployed Nwaneri in a similar role to Ødegaard's influential role in midfield, linking up play and creating chances.
Although Ødegaard will be expected to play the bulk of Arsenal's games, Vieira's departure and Emile Smith Rowe's move to Fulham makes Nwaneri the ideal backup for the Norwegian playmaker. The arrival of Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino could fill that void if needed, but the 28-year-old is expected to play a deeper role like he has done regularly for the Erreala and the Spanish national team.
In games against Bournemouth, Man United, Lyon and Bayer Leverkusen, Nwaneri flourished on the main stage, proving he had the physicality and vision to fulfil such a demanding role in Arteta's side.
The 17-year-old pitched in with 14 goal contributions for the Arsenal U21s in the Premier League 2 competition last season, enough to catch the eye of the Arsenal backroom staff who are keen on incorporating the youngster into the first team setup.
Speaking before their clash with Wolves in the opening game of the season, Arteta said that Nwaneri, alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ayden Heaven impressed enough to be considered for the first team.
"It [preseason performances] has given us a big platform for them to understand how good they are and the options that we have in the squad right now. They are certainly going to be training with us.
"What I love the most is their attitude and personalities. How much they want it, the way they were competing in training. We throw them in very difficult contexts and they responded. It was a great test to see where they are and I think we are in a very good place."
Nwaneri has mainly been used in an attacking midfield role for the U18s and U21s, shadowing the centre-forward and combining with the wingers on both flanks.
However, Arteta was keen to try the 17-year-old out in a less advanced position - in the same way that Ødegaard had adjusted to at the backend of last season.
Therefore, with Vieira out of the picture hoping to find his feet with his former club, Nwaneri has the chance to gain more experience and be mentored by someone who has been in his feet, if not much bigger at his age.
Speaking together in a video that was shared to the club's social media channels, Ødegaard advised Nwaneri:
"You have to play your game, you have to enjoy and play with confidence, because you have so much quality and sometimes when you are young, you feel like you can't really show yourself."
Having been criticised for not providing a pathway for youth players to break into the first team, it seems that this season is the chance for Arteta to develop what many consider one of the greatest talents to emerge from the academy, and as an understudy to Martin Ødegaard, there aren't many others better to learn from.
