Ethan Nwaneri Becomes Youngest Player In EPL History As Arsenal Beat Brentford
Ethan Nwaneri became the first 15-year-old to play in the Premier League on Sunday.
The English attacking midfielder, wearing no.83 on his back, came on for Arsenal in the 91st minute of their 3-0 win at Brentford.
The Gunners had been in total control prior to Nwaneri's introduction, thanks to goals from William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira.
Nwaneri touched the ball once in his record-breaking cameo when he blocked a shot to help Arsenal preserve their third EPL clean sheet of the season.
Ethan Nwaneri (no.83) pictured making his Arsenal debut in the Premier League at the age of 15 years and 181 days
IMAGO/Colorsport
Fans at the Brentford Community Stadium sang: "You've got school in the morning".
Nwaneri will not turn 16 until March 21 next year.
Harvey Elliott previously held the record for being the youngest Premier League player, having made his debut aged 16 years and 30 days.
Youngest Players In Premier League History
| Player | Age | When | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ethan Nwaneri | 15 years and 181 days | September 2022 | Arsenal | Brentford |
Harvey Elliott | 16 years and 30 days | May 2019 | Fulham | Wolves |
Matthew Briggs | 16 years and 68 days | May 2007 | Fulham | Middlesbrough |
Isaiah Brown | 16 years and 117 days | May 2013 | West Brom | Wigan Athletic |
Aaron Lennon | 16 years and 129 days | May 2003 | Leeds United | Tottenham |
Nwaneri was temporarily promoted to the first-team squad after injuries to Martin Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko left Arsenal short of depth in midfield.
Arsenal academy boss Per Mertesacker recommended Nwaneri to Mikel Arteta and the teenager then impressed the first-team manager in training.
Discussing his decision to bring Nwaneri on for his debut on Sunday, Arteta bold BBC Sport: "It was a pure gut feeling.
"I met the boy and really liked what I saw. Per Mertesacker and the academy staff are giving me really good information, Edu as well. I met him, he's trained a couple of times with us.
"Yesterday he had to come because we have injuries, especially the injury of Martin Odegaard, and then I had that feeling from yesterday that if the opportunity could come that I was going to do it and I just did it."
Sunday's victory saw Arsenal end the weekend top of the Premier League table.
