Arsenal can save £125m by ditching target Mikel Arteta no longer needs as new weapon found

Arsenal could save themselves a huge amount of money by shelving their interest in an expensive target and focusing on one of their own. The Gunners completed three permanent signings in the summer, with Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori and David Raya moving to the Emirates Stadium.

Those deals were supplemented by the loan arrivals of Raheem Sterling and Neto from Chelsea and Bournemouth respectively. Arsenal will almost certainly seek further improvements next summer, with Bayer Leverkusen winger Florian Wirtz among their reported targets.

Wirtz is regarded as one of Europe’s brightest young stars after helping Xabi Alonso’s side to win their first Bundesliga title last season. He has carried his prolific form into the new campaign, having already scored six goals and provided one assist.

Arsenal are thought to be one of several clubs with an interest in signing Wirtz, with the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid also linked. However, such a move would be hugely expensive with the 21-year-old said to be valued at around £125million.

The Gunners could benefit from saving their pennies and looking elsewhere, with Ethan Nwaneri emerging as one of their brightest sparks. The teenager could be Arsenal’s own version of Wirtz if he continues to kick on and establishes himself as a first-team regular.

Nwaneri made his first start for the north Londoners against Bolton last week and came off the bench during Saturday’s win over Leicester City. He changed the dynamic of the game and was unlucky not to score a brilliant solo goal in the closing minutes.

Mikel Arteta was left delighted by Nwaneri’s joyous cameo, saying after the final whistle: “I brought on Ethan and the guy, at 17-years-old, his first action is to go past two, three people and take a shot. I just love it.

“If you want to be here and play at that level, you need to have that courage. I really value that from the team today.”

Nwaneri certainly appears to have the world at his feet and will be looking to build on his impressive display against Leicester in the coming weeks. A lot can happen in a short space of time in the right environment and he will only continue to improve as he continues to settle in at first-team level.

If he makes the most of his sky-high potential, Nwaneri might just follow in the footsteps of Wirtz by emerging as the next big thing in European football.