Mohamed Salah and Ethan Nwaneri may be at opposite ends of their career, but as one of Africa’s Premier League stars continues — increasingly? — to look towards the sunset, this weekend might have seen the launch of a glittering top flight career for the Anglo-Nigerian wonderkid.
In Italy, Ademola Lookman proved — once again — why he’s the outstanding favourite for CAF’s African Footballer of the Year award, while Amad Diallo suggested he could help Ruben Amorim solve a tactical conundrum at Manchester United.
As Arsenal’s form has meandered in recent weeks, with the title hopefuls taking two points from a possible 12 in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta has increasingly listened to calls to introduce wonderkid Nwaneri to the fray.
The 17-year-old was given half an hour against Newcastle earlier this month, having starred against Preston North End in the EFL Cup, and was given another brief cameo this weekend as the Gunners ended their winless streak with a 3-0 thumping of Nottingham Forest.
Nwaneri may have been involved for less then ten minutes, but the youngster’s late goal — his first in the Prem — was the perfect full stop on a performance that breathed revived vigour into the Gunners’ flagging title challenge.
Four minutes from time, with Forest’s backline fading, he was on hand to meet Raheem Sterling’s cross with a sharp left-footed finish, becoming, in the process, the Londoners’ second youngest goalscorer behind Cesc Fabregas.
“I’m incredibly proud and happy,” Nwaneri told the club’s official handle. “He’s such a great name, and I’m just behind him, so it’s a good achievement and I’m happy. “I’m excited, but I’m just ready for more. Just keep pushing basically,” he continued. “I know Raheem is a good player and can find players in the box, so I wasn’t shocked when he found me.
“It was just instinct to put it in the bottom corner.”
Record-breaking Nwaneri
The youngster is already no stranger to breaking records; he was the youngest player ever to feature in England’s top division when — aged 15 years and 181 days — he made his league debut against Brentford in September 2022.
“I was just grateful for him. He’s assisted me again this season, so I’m happy,” Nwaneri added. “I just come to show what I can do. Just impact the game like usual.”
He needed just two minutes against Forest to open his account in the Premier League, although Arteta may have been more encouraged by the starlet’s confidence in possession, bright movement, creativity with the ball at his feet and dynamism during a brief but glittering cameo.
“I am always tempted [to give him more playing time],” Arteta told journalists after the match. “I think he’s the second youngest player for the club to score in the Premier League.
“Today is another reason to put him there, but that’s when I play him and not somebody else. It’s step by step, I would say.”
He will doubtless go through peaks and troughs over the months and years to come, but the Spanish coach may be quietly confident that, with the bubbling Nwaneri an option on the bench, Arsenal might have a joker up the sleeve as they look to settle the tightest fixtures and tilt the championship balance in their favour this season.
“Something I cannot do myself is manage expectations,” Arteta continued. “I will try to educate him, raise him and give him the pathway that we believe is the best.
“His family, his agent, his friends, they will be very important as well. Don’t listen too much to the noise, focus on what he does which is to play football and he loves every minute of it and good things will happen to him for sure.”
Ghana’s Thomas Partey, who missed his country’s miserable international break after a tete-a-tete with head coach Otto Addo, had added the Gunners’ second after Bukayo Saka had opened the scoring.
Receiving the ball from Saka, the central midfielder found himself in space, lent back, and angled a drive beyond Matz Sels from outside the area minutes into the second half. Partey later dedicated the goal to his newly born daughter, Alaia, in a social media post after the match.
Salah being selfish?
While Nwaneri has only just scored the first of (hopefully) many Premier League goals, he’s got a long, long way to go to catch up with Mohamed Salah, whose double this weekend takes him up to 167 goals since arriving in England.
However, while the Arsenal wonderkid is just taking his first steps in the top tier, there’s an increasing sentiment that Salah may be coming to the end of the road at Liverpool, with the veteran forward appearing increasingly frustrated with contract negotiations at Anfield.
“We are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club,” Salah said after scoring twice in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Southampton. “I’m probably more out than in.”
Not for the first time, the forward appeared to take the attention away from an encouraging Liverpool display to put the focus back on himself, and in his ongoing wait for a new deal on Merseyside.
“I’m very disappointed with Mo Salah,” Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. “Liverpool have Real Madrid midweek, and Man City at the weekend. That’s the story right now.
“If he keeps putting comments out, his agent puts out cryptic messages, that is selfish. That’s thinking about themselves and not the football club.”
Inconsiderate timing from Salah, perhaps, but on the other hand, the 32-year-old recognises that his stock is high after 10 goals and six assists in 12 Premier League outings so far this season, including a double against the Saints.
The hosts were 2-1 up when Salah equalised in the 65th minute, capitalising on a gross misjudgement from the rusty onrushing Alex McCarthy to prod into an empty net with a smart left-footed finish.
Seven minutes from time, with Southampton creaking under Liverpool’s pressure, substitute Yukinari Sugawara clumsily handled Salah’s cross into the box, and the Egyptian promptly stepped up to fire home the penalty and take all three points.
The goal prompted a theatrical celebration from the Egyptian king; shirt off, abs flared, booking knowingly received, but the message was clear: he may be 32 years old, but Salah is in immaculate shape, is still Liverpool’s star man, and — he believes — worth every penny he’s asking for.
“We always know we can trust on him if things are difficult for us,” Arne Slot underlined in his post-match press conference.
Diallo helping Amorim
Ruben Amorim’s first match as Manchester United manager was the most hotly anticipated event of the Premier League weekend, and while the 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town proved a valuable opportunity for the new man to see the extent of the work ahead of him, he’ll surely be delighted with what he saw from Amad Diallo.
The Ivorian wideman was mooted as one of several potential options to occupy a wingback role in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation, and eventually got an early opportunity to prove what he can do with an unfamiliar brief against the Tractor Boys.
It was an encouraging showing, as Diallo, surging down the right flank, beating home defenders with a slaloming run, was responsible for Marcus Rashford’s early goal, to kick off the Amorim era inside a minute and a half.
He ended the game having created two goalscoring opportunities, tested Arijanet Muric with a shot, and also made a series of key defensive interventions — no one in the match made more clearances than Diallo’s five.
It remains to be seen whether Diallo can be a long-term solution in this position, but based on this showing, he has potential to adapt his game to Amorim’s specific requirements. Finally, to Germany, where Ademola Lookman impressed again for Atalanta as they saw off Parma 3-1 away from home.
The Nigerian added La Dea’s third in the 75th minute, powering in after being picked out by Juan Cuadrado, having earlier had a goal ruled out for offside.
The goal was Lookman’s seventh of the Serie A season so far, with the 27-year-old having had a hand in 11 goals in 10 Italian top flight outings as Atalanta have risen to second, only one point behind Napoli.
With just under three weeks to go until the CAF Awards 2024, to crown the African Footballer of the Year, Lookman is again proving why he is the hot favourite for the prize.