Nwanners!: Page 52 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One more in the Tolly

Nwanners!

Panda

FantasticMrFox No wasn't there 😢 worried for his future here. I think we will cash in.

Claudius

Panda he’s a kid. Let’s not start this Saliba angst again.

Panda

Claudius Hope you're right!

Asterix

JazzG at first glance I read his T shirt as "C*nts Design Manchester", which seemed a bit harsh on the architectural and urban design professionals.

goon

Klaus

Good for him too see too that the pathway isn’t necessarily easier outside Arsenal and get confirmation of what it takes. Talent alone isn’t enough whatever the level.

Claudius

Panda I think so. Nwaneri came into the best squad in England over last 3-4 seasons and made an impression. He belongs but is raw.

This is different to other youth like ESR and Nketiah who were both talented but gaps in their games appeared as we moved from 8th to 4th in the table. Similar to MLS. Proving he can hang with the big boys

JazzG

Klaus Even for experienced player having a rough experience can change you. Messi went to PSG and I think came out of it with much more of an edge and aggression, his performances for Argentina imo got better as a result. Who knows maybe that World cup win doesn't happen if he doesn't leave his comfort zone at Barca?

Qwiss

Claudius ESR was good enough but the injuries fucked him. Eddie was never going to amount to more than a squad option.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

Qwiss yep, ESR was special when he was younger.

Claudius

ESR never consistently delivered at a top 2 level. He had a few memorable peri, but I remember him being very inconsistent. And he’s gone off to Fulham and basically become a rotation player. I think there’s a big difference between players who can look good when you’re 4th to 8th versus those who shine in a top 2 team. Also why I’m not worried about United. Beyond Bruno, there’s a bunch of ESR level players who will never get them near a title race. And the fans don’t realise it.

Burnwinter

ESR is a superb footballer, but it's not enough these days. Athleticism is too important and he didn't quite cut it. I imagine that's why the friction with Arteta during his long relative exile at Arsenal.

Emile would've felt like he was doing all he could. Meanwhile Arteta would've been confronting the grim private insight he wouldn't be able to make room for a player that gifted if Emile was going to have trouble staying adequately fit, fast and injury-free to compete for selection at the best football club in Europe.

The levels index the ambitions we now hold as a club. The next preternatural talent to fall foul of these sorts of obstacles to greatness could be Nwaneri for example.

Don Pacifico

Burnwinter think it was his character (confidence/self assurance?) that was the blocker for Arteta. Said as much in All or Nothing; if it were down to talent alone, ESR would easily be an Arsenal player.

JazzG

DiabyKungFu

The fact that it was Nwaneri's camp pushing for the Marseille move is moderately good news. It was an obviously stupid decision in the moment so I'm glad it didn't come from the club.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

DiabyKungFu It was an obviously stupid decision in the moment

At the time, why?

samthegooner

I hope we give him every chance to get playing time this year. He has a couple of absolutely elite skills for his age in his ball striking and his technique. He's not a touchline winger so I hope that we can either figure out a spot for him in an attacking midfield role or as more of a second striker.

That being said, if his father is going to be a problem and constantly getting involved, I could see why Arteta might just decide it's not going to work. This isn't the first time we have heard of some drama internally with his entourage and we know that Arteta doesn't usually have time for that. Personally, I think selling him permanently should be our last resort and ideally we can incorporate him this summer or find a productive loan spot in the mid table.

Burnwinter

The crux of it is that if Nwaneri's good enough there's no problem. There's no lack of ambition from his side and no lack of any goodwill from Arsenal's side. You've got to be very gifted and very good at football to play 2,000 minutes in an Arsenal shirt. And then there's Max Dowman behind you. With any luck Skelly gets him lined up.

DiabyKungFu

Burnwinter The crux of it is that if Nwaneri's good enough there's no problem.

This is true to a certain extent but the complication is that Eze has shown himself to not be good enough. Pure end product "maverick playmaker" with 2 goals and 2 assists in the the non-Tottenham PL games and 1 goal and 1 assist in the CL. What exactly are you "afraid" would happen if Nwaneri had gotten all of those minutes instead? Unless Nwaneri is some uncoachable menace behind closed doors, it seems difficult to justify choosing Eze over Nwaneri.

Burnwinter

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert At the time, why?

Well if you've used a player's absence as a way to bait the club and fodder for criticism of any sub-par performances of the alternates signed in his position for six months, but now it turns out the player was absent of his own volition trying to get minutes of playing time—which by the way is a pretty normal motivation for a player—it's a way to politely admit that line of commentary was misplaced while maintaining you were right all along about the most important point.

DiabyKungFu

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert At the time, why?

The most similar player at Marseille is also their best player (Greenwood). You could play Greenwood and Nwaneri together but it's also reasonable to only pick one or the other even if you like Nwaneri. Also, it seemed like Nwaneri was at most two good performances in a row from leapfrogging Eze in the depth chart anyway.

Tam

I hope the comment about strained relations between his family and club is speculation.

Last time I recall a players family getting media column inches it was Ainsley Maitland-Nile’s’ crazy mum.

Burnwinter

Tam Last time I recall a players family getting media column inches it was Ainsley Maitland-Nile’s’ crazy mum.

Yeah but the youngsters are often managed by their parents these days. Skelly's mum has had some puff pieces about how she's qualified as an agent to help with his career. It's really mostly about whether they're good enough for the positions in which they're needed. In Nwaneri's case he's got good and deep talent ahead of him and now behind him, so playing time will continue to be a challenge.

Tam

Burnwinter yeah, and in that scenario I see parental involvement being more of a problem. I suspect most parents of prodigious (and valuable) talents would not have the ability to remain objective enough to identify the best routes and outcomes for the player. They’d be better invested in managing the entourage that being Nwaneri brings, and making sure he’s got the right people advising him.

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