Ethan Nwaneri has proved £34m Mikel Arteta summer Arsenal transfer decision right

Those who tracked Ethan Nwaneri though his academy days may not be so surprised he is making an impact on the first team.

The 17-year-old has three goals in six matches, all of them coming in two League Cup ties, and has brought praise from his Arsenal manager. Speaking after the teenager scored his latest goal in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Preston North End, Mikel Arteta confirmed his status within the senior squad.

“He’s showing every day what he’s capable of. You see his teammates, they give the ball all the time. That’s a great sign. We’ve got some player there,” he said.

Nwaneri is the academy’s reply to any doubt over its production line. The Gunners saw two academy graduates sold this summer while another was loaned out having failed to be signed permanently.

Eddie Nketiah has moved across London to Crystal Palace while Reiss Nelson relocated across the city to Fulham on loan. Emile Smith Rowe came through at the same time as Bukayo Saka but was unable to sustain as long or as great an impact on the side.

He was hardly used last season, playing just 19 games with 13 of those coming in the league. Two of the three top-flight starts he was handed last term were against teams that got relegated.

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Smith Rowe had been part of the early revival under Arteta and his contribution will not be forgotten by Arsenal fans. But many felt it was the right time for him to move on to Fulham for a fee that could reach £34m. More a case of ‘what a shame’ than ‘what on earth’.

Over the past decade, Arsenal have not produced the constant flow of youth products into the first team as much as the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.

That gap has narrowed in recent years but the offloading of Nketiah and Smith Rowe raised quiet questions about how the academy was preparing its talent for the elite level. Nwaneri and youth colleague Miles Lewis-Skelly are dismantling any concerns.

The exit of Smith Rowe and Porto-loaned Fabio Vieira left midfield numbers thinned, as was highlighted amidst the injuries of Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino. But such a situation has allowed Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly, a defensive midfielder, to emerge as ample squad members.

The ultimate hope is that they will follow the trajectory of Saka and become vital starting XI talents. Lewis-Skelly has been used in various guises so far and fans haven’t seen him in full flow in his natural position.

But Nwaneri, an attacking midfielder, is showing his prowess and fearlessness at such a young age that it is not hard to see him exceed the potential of Smith Rowe. All of his goals have come from being central and he is showing traits that indicate, in time, he will be a trusted option there.

It is arguable that he would not have had as much opportunity if Smith Rowe was still in the squad. Nwaneri is extinguishing any worries that it was a mistake to sell his 24-year-old senior.