'Whispering' Arsenal star who urged Arteta to bring on Nwaneri at West Ham
Aaron Ramsdale has hinted that Jorginho urged Mikel Arteta to bring on Ethan Nwaneri for just his second Arsenal appearance during their 6-0 drubbing at West Ham.
Nwaneri, who became the youngest player in Premier League history when he made his debut against Brentford in September 2022, replaced Gabriel Martinelli for the final 13 minutes at the London Stadium. Although the 16-year-old didn't score or grab an assist, he looked bright during his limited time on the pitch.
Speaking after the match, Arteta admitted he heard whispering to hand Nwaneri some game time as the Gunners cruised to a fourth successive league victory. He said: "There is something that you have to earn in your team and that is the trust of your team-mates.
"I had two things. One, the players on the bench whispering, 'Ethan in' – which is a great thing to hear. The other thing is for your team-mates to give you the ball all the time. If they do that, it's because they really trust you and you only have to see how many times he was involved in that. So it's a great sign."
Nwaneri took to Instagram after his cameo and posted three photos, including the caption of a love heart. In the comments section, Ramsdale revealed who was trying to convince Arteta to bring on the teenage sensation. The England goalkeeper said: "Get Ethan on @jorginhofrello."
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Ramsdale wasn't the only Arsenal player to show their appreciation for Nwaneri. Bukayo Saka branded him as a "baller", while Declan Rice said he is a "special special talent." William Saliba, Ben White and Martin Odegaard were amongst the others to leave a comment on Nwaneri's post.
Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri in action at West Ham on Sunday (Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)As for the game itself, Arsenal cruised to three points after dominating the contest from the first whistle. Despite creating an abundance of chances, it took them until the 32nd minute to open the scoring when William Saliba headed home. That opened the floodgates as Arsenal scored three more before half-time, with Buyako Saka adding the second before Gabriel and Leandro Trossard got in on the act.
The pattern of the second-half was similar to the first; Arsenal having the lion share of the ball and conjuring up opportunities to score. Saka completed his brace for the Gunners fifth, before Rice scored on his first Premier League return to his former employers to rub salt in the West Ham wounds.
It's a result that moves the Gunners back to within two points of leaders Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title and Arteta was delighted with his team against West Ham. He said: "We are maintaining and building some momentum now, and the performances have been really strong, as well as the results in recent weeks.
"We need to maintain that because the other teams are doing it as well, we are not the only ones, and we need to recognise that. Now, onto Burnley."
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