Arsenal solve one transfer issue as striker search steps up
Arsenal solve one transfer issue as striker search steps up
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Arsenal need to sign a striker before Monday’s transfer deadline, but the club’s search for a new winger can wait until the summer. Ethan Nwaneri made that abundantly clear on Wednesday night, as the 17-year-old continued to show how he is a genuine option on the right flank in Bukayo Saka’s absence.
![[Ethan Nwaneri celebrates scoring for Arsenal against Girona]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/01/29/23/41/ethannwaneri29012025f-jpg.jpeg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
Saka is not due back until March after tearing his hamstring last month and Mikel Arteta has experimented with different solutions. Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling have also been given a chance to impress, but it is Nwaneri who has seized the opportunity.
The 17-year-old was handed his first start in the Champions League on Wednesday and marked it by scoring the winning goal against Girona as Arsenal booked a place in the last 16. It was a brilliant finish, too. Picking the ball up on the right of the penalty area, Nwaneri weaved his way across it before curling an effort into the bottom corner.
The goal was the 17-year-old’s sixth of the season and his second this month since he was moved to the right wing. “His influence, his composure on the ball and how aggressive he is when he gets it, it’s impressive,” said Arteta. “That’s what we love about him, he’s willing to take the initiative to make things happen. He’s very aggressive when he’s got the ball and so confident.
“He has the capacity to finish from every angle basically. It’s very natural for him, you can see the way he takes the touches, how he beats people and then the technique he’s got, he’s so precise in his finishing. Put him a lot of times in that situation and the outcome will be good.”.
