Nwaneri made history last season when he became the youngest player in Premier League history at the age of 15 years and 181 days when he came off the bench against Brentford in September.
City had a chance to sign the England youth international, but the midfielder rejected the treble winners.
City fail to capitalise on Nwaneri opportunity
Speaking on National World’s The Chris Wheatley Show, journalist Chris Wheatley explained:
“Nwaneri has been really in demand this summer, he rejected the likes of City and Chelsea. He’s one of the biggest prospects in English youth football.”
Nwaneri’s schoolboy registration at Arsenal had been due to expire on June 30, meaning City would only have had to pay Arsenal a compensation payment to sign the young star.
However, instead of joining City’s academy set-up, the 16-year-old decided to sign scholarship forms with the Gunners.
The midfielder will sign a professional deal with Mikel Arteta’s side when he turns 17 in March 2024.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Arsenal boss Arteta, academy manager Per Mertesacker and sporting director Edu were all involved in persuading the teenager to stay in North London.
Nwaneri reportedly had a route to the first team mapped out for him, something that might have been harder for City to do given the midfield talents already in Pep Guardiola’s squad.
Last season the youngster scored three goals and provided four assists in the U18 Premier League, while he also made nine appearances in the Premier League 2.
MCN view: City won’t be overly concerned
City would have liked to have capitalised on Nwaneri’s situation and poached a promising talent from a title rival, but it’s not the end of the world.
The Blues have plenty of young stars in their own academy who will be looking to impress Guardiola during City’s pre-season tour of Asia this summer.
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