Young Arsenal star’s future revealed after Mikel Arteta’s Community Shield snub

Ethan Nwaneri’s future at Arsenal became clearer over the weekend after the Academy graduate was left out of Mikel Arteta’s squad for the Gunners’ Community Shield win over Manchester City. 

Arsenal ran rampant at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Sunday afternoon, sticking three past City in an emphatic 3-0 victory. 

Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring in under a minute, before Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard got their names on the scoresheet in the 28th and 48th minutes, respectively. 

Arteta provides update on Arsenal youngster’s future

Yet, it wasn’t just those on the pitch who made headlines, but also the noticeable absentees from both squads, with Nwaneri being one obvious omission. 

Speculation has increased over the attacking midfielder’s future in North London this summer, having been deemed surplus to requirements, and, according to Fabrizio Romano, he is set to leave the Premier League champions this summer. 

When asked about Nwaneri’s future before Sunday’s game, Arteta said: “I want him to be at the club. But we have to consider in the medium, long term, what is best for the player as well.

“Ethan needs to play football. And if he stays here, it is because we can guarantee him that he can have those minutes”.

The 19-year-old spent the second half of the 2025/26 campaign on loan at French side Olympique de Marseille. 

Nwaneri isn’t the only Arsenal youngster touted for a move this summer, with Myles Lewis-Skelly another name that could well be on his way out of the Emirates if reports are to be believed. 

Lewis-Skelly featured at left back for a large proportion of the club’s title-winning campaign last term, as well as starting against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. 

However, with his preferred position of midfield now overcrowded with an abundance of both quality and experience in Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, and Bruno Guimaraes, the teenager has purportedly been lined up by the likes of Manchester United. 

That said, the highly-rated midfield prospect was given a starting berth on Sunday, chipping in with an assist for the opener. 

Forwards Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus were further glaring omissions from Arsenal’s squad, with several clubs, including Turkish champions Galatasaray, looking to acquire the former’s services, while Jesus is attracting interest from elsewhere.

Justifying his squad selection, Arteta added “It is really sad, they [Nwaneri, Martinelli, and Jesus] deserve to be in the squad.”

Rodri looks set to leave Man City

Rodri was another absentee on Sunday, with the World Cup-winning midfielder looking increasingly likely to be off to Barcelona, with the Blaugrana reportedly beating Real Madrid to his signature. 

Reports claimed on Sunday that the Cityzens have agreed a fee with Hansi Flick’s Barca for £65 million, as Enzo Maresca’s side moves to replace their talisman, with Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi a potential target.