Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta given clear reason to ditch £41m transfer this week

Arsenal must ditch a reported £41million pursuit of Yohan Bakayoko after Ethan Nwaneri shone on his full Premier League debut. The Gunners have been linked with signing a new right-winger in the aftermath of Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury.

Saka is expected to be absent until at least March, severely impacting Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge. The England star is the Gunners’ best player and Mikel Arteta will struggle to replace his contributions in the final third.

But 17-year-old Nwaneri provided solid evidence that he can fill Saka’s boots over the coming months. The academy graduate looked comfortable on his first top-flight start, incidentally on the same pitch that he became the league’s youngest-ever player.

While his performance in Arsenal’s 3-1 win at Brentford was not on the outstanding level that Saka produces, it was enough to prove that Arteta does not need to sign a new winger.

Nwaneri linked up with Gabriel Jesus perfectly well. He retained the ball well, completing 22 of his 24 passes, and created two chances. The confident teenager dribbled effectively and impressed with his defensive contributions.

The onus must be on Jesus, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli to step up in Saka’s absence. Nwaneri cannot be expected to carry the burden of expectation that Saka has relinquished through injury.

Arteta must now ask himself whether he wants to continue integrating a young player who seems comfortable in the starting 11 or ask the Arsenal hierarchy to spend a large sum on a star who might take time to adapt at the Emirates Stadium.

The risk-free option is to use Nwaneri. It is why Arteta must end any pursuit of Bakayoko – interest that was first reported by Dutch publication Voetbal Primeur.

Arteta clearly agrees that it is time for Nwaneri to win a run of Premier League starts.

The Arsenal boss said: “It was a decision that I made because I thought he was the best player to play in the position to start the game and because there was a story there, with his debut here and when he made his Premier League debut. Sometimes that feeling comes in and it’s the right one and then who knows?”

Just as fellow teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly has done at left-back, Nwaneri has performed well when selected and will save Arsenal plenty of funds on a replacement for Saka.