England boss plots to beat Nigeria to Nwaneri

Italian transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that England is making plans to cap-tie Arsenal youngster, Ethan Nwaneri and potentially shut the door on a future switch to Nigeria. 

Nwaneri has been one of Arsenal’s most promising prospects this season and is eligible to represent both Nigeria and England at the senior level. 

Super Eagles manager, Eric Chelle has asked Alex Iwobi —also a Hale End Academy graduate like Nwaneri— to use his Arsenal ties to explore the possibility of convincing the young midfielder to play for Nigeria.

The teenage midfielder has scored seven goals and provided one assist in 24 matches across all competitions, attracting the attention of England national team manager Thomas Tuchel. 

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that Tuchel is closely monitoring Nwaneri and his Arsenal teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly, with discussions ongoing about calling them up to the senior squad. 

If selected for England’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia, Nwaneri would be cap-tied, making him ineligible to switch allegiance to Nigeria in the future. 

This move would be a significant setback for Nigeria, who are also keen on securing Nwaneri’s commitment.

The teenager would follow the path of other England-born players of Nigerian descent, such as Bukayo Saka, Dele Alli, Tammy Abraham, Eberechi Eze, and Fikayo Tomori, who all opted to represent England over Nigeria. 

With Tuchel actively considering Nwaneri for a senior call-up, the coming months could be crucial in determining where the young midfielder’s international future lies.