Ethan Nwaneri's dad speaks out after Arsenal contract 'lies' as phone conversation leaked

The father of Arsenal teenager Ethan Nwaneri has dismissed suggestions that his son demanded additional playing time before agreeing fresh terms with the club.

The 18-year-old established himself with the Gunners last season, netting nine goals across 37 outings in all competitions. Speculation emerged during the summer that the winger might depart Arsenal, though the Hale End academy product is since believed to have agreed a new five-year contract.

However, reports previously claimed that Nwaneri sought guarantees from Mikel Arteta regarding minutes on the pitch before committing to fresh terms. The youngster faced criticism for his supposed demands from talkSPORT pundit Dean Saunders.

The former Liverpool and Aston Villa forward was questioned by host Jeff Stelling earlier this month about whether he believed Nwaneri's apparent request was positive.

Saunders responded: "Not when you are 18. Who do you think you are? You're 18 and you've done nothing. You're learning the game."

But the former Wolves and Wrexham manager has now disclosed he subsequently received a telephone call from Nwaneri's father, Obi, to clarify the situation.

Speaking to talkSPORT on Monday, Saunders said: "I was on the putting green at Effingham and Jay Bothroyd went to school with his [Nwaneri's] dad. He said, 'Can you put Dean on?' So I spoke to his dad, and fair play to him, he said that [demanding more game time] never happened.

"I said, 'If it's true, we were reacting to what was said in the newspaper.' So he should take it up with the newspaper as they wrote the story. They're all Aston Villa fans and he said, 'We've had the criticism off [Jamie] O'Hara and [Jason] Cundy, but when it comes from you, it hurts.'

"I said, 'I'm not criticising him, he's a great young player but if you're demanding game time off Arteta...' which apparently he didn't, so there you go. I spoke to his dad and he was a lovely bloke."

Saunders found himself in an awkward position after initially laying into Nwaneri's agent for supposedly pushing for more playing time. However, he discovered during their conversation that the youngster's father serves as his representative.

He added: "I said it must have been his agent asking for game time, but that's his dad. I didn't know his dad was his agent. I've got a son, and when your son gets criticised, it stings, but he's going to have to get used to it. This is life in the fast lane."

Earlier this month, Arsenal icon Martin Keown dismissed rumours suggesting Nwaneri might depart the Emirates Stadium for Chelsea. Whilst questions remain about his current standing within the squad hierarchy, Keown remains confident that Arteta is monitoring his development carefully and will provide chances when the moment is right.

The former Gunners centre-back made these comments whilst drawing parallels between Nwaneri's circumstances and those faced by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli during their early careers.

Keown told talkSPORT: "I take you back to the [FA] Cup final that Arteta won. In that game, who sat on the bench and didn't come on? Saka. That looked painful. With Martinelli, a lot of people were crying out for him to make a start, but he [Arteta] does it when he thinks it's right.

"I think Nwaneri is on the same path. He is a wonderful talent. He's being protected by Arteta. It's not to do with ability, he will get his chance."

Story Saved

You can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.