Arsenal came into the season short of options in their attack.
The Gunners had allowed Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli to leave the Emirates Stadium.
The only way they went about replacing them was to bring in Christos Tzolis, who, despite enjoying an impressive start to life in London, was not the elite winger fans were craving.
Andrea Berta and Co closely pursued the likes of Morgan Rogers, Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Junior but their pursuit of all three was fruitless.
So, when Tzolis picked up an injury on international duty, it was not ideal. Then, when Bukayo Saka limped off at the Allianz Arena after just ten minutes, it was a head-in-hands moment.
Fortunately, both Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke delivered when it mattered most.
How Eze and Madueke starred against Bayern Munich
Eze and Madueke have been two polarising figures since arriving from Crystal Palace and Chelsea in the summer of 2025.
Eze’s arrival was celebrated. He entered the pitch in his baggy blue jeans to say hello to a raucous Emirates for the first time in August of last year after rejecting Tottenham. A Hale Ender, this was a fairy tale.
Madueke’s signing was met with a touch more scepticism. Fans were fed up with eating Chelsea’s leftovers and protested against the move.
That said, in spurts, the winger has delivered, as has Eze. The trouble is that they are very rarely on it at the same time.
That point was proven against Nottingham Forest when they played a half each. Eze was withdrawn at the break after a particularly poor opening 45 minutes at the City Ground. Madueke came on in his place and scored the winner.
He deservedly started on the left against Bayern as a result. Yet, when Saka went off, things changed.
All of a sudden they were on the pitch at the same time. They both contributed enormously. It was the former Palace man who opened the scoring and it was his colleague on the opposite side who played the pre-assist for Declan Rice’s late equaliser.
If Saka and Tzolis are both out this weekend, Mikel Arteta will require more of the same. For much of their Arsenal careers, they have failed to deliver the goods but now is the time to kick on.
Eze and Madueke are bad news for £50m Arsenal star
When Saka was withdrawn in the first half on Wednesday, many were crying out for Max Dowman. However, this was too big a setting, too big a stage. His time will no doubt come.
But when? The 16-year-old is one of the finest young talents in the world right now and it only feels like a matter of time before he is let off the leash. He is the youngest scorer in Premier League history. No one has ever won the title at a younger age.
|
Premier League’s youngest goalscorers |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Age |
Date & Opponent |
|
Max Dowman (Arsenal) |
16 years, 73 days |
March 2026 vs Everton |
|
James Vaughan (Everton) |
16 yrs, 270 days |
Apr 2005 v Crystal Palace |
|
James Milner (Leeds) |
16 yrs, 356 days |
Dec 2002 v Sunderland |
|
Wayne Rooney (Everton) |
16 yrs, 360 days |
Oct 2002 v Arsenal |
|
Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool) |
16 yrs, 361 days |
Aug 2025 v Newcastle |
|
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) |
17 yrs, 113 days |
Aug 2004 v Blackburn |
|
Michael Owen (Liverpool) |
17 yrs, 143 days |
May 1997 v Wimbledon |
|
Andy Turner (Tottenham) |
17 yrs, 166 days |
Sep 1992 v Everton |
|
Federico Macheda (Man Utd) |
17 yrs, 226 days |
Apr 2009 v Aston Villa |
|
Lewis Miley (Newcastle) |
17 yrs, 229 days |
Dec 2023 v Fulham |
Eventually, he will burst through and become a regular. For now, though, Arteta is being patient.
The same cannot be said for another teenager in Ethan Nwaneri. Now 19 years of age, he is the youngest player in Premier League history. He has Dowman beat in that regard.
Where he does not have Dowman beat, however, is game time. It simply hasn’t been forthcoming over the last year.
It’s a puzzling tale, truth be told. In 2024/25 when Saka suffered a hamstring tear, it was Nwaneri who stepped up. After starring against Leicester City, Joe Cole said: “These touches he produces in and around the box, I don’t want to say it, but it’s like Messi.”
Just 17 at the time, Nwaneri kicked on further, ending the season with nine goals during his first full campaign as a member of the first team.
He sadly hasn’t developed too much since. That’s for a number of reasons. Instead of prioritising the academy graduate in the summer of 2025, Arsenal went out and signed Madueke for £52m.
There was a belief that Nwaneri would transition inside and play as an attacking midfielder instead. Yet, Eze also entered the building to the tune of £67.5m. All of a sudden, the teen’s route into the team had been well and truly blocked.
Thus, after playing just 165 Premier League minutes in the first half of 2025/26, he headed out on loan to Marseille. Things did not go well there either.
The youngster scored on his Ligue 1 debut only for then-manager Roberto De Zerbi to leave. Nwaneri ultimately only started three games in the French top-flight.
When he returned, he was now behind Dowman in the pecking order as well. He did catch the eye in pre-season, though, so all was not lost. He scored against Borussia Dortmund, the side he’s now on loan at.
In Germany, it has been more of the same for Arsenal’s dazzling young talent. Nwaneri is yet to score, but he is at least playing a bit more football.
Still, he is yet to complete 90 minutes in the Bundesliga and has been withdrawn just after the hour mark in all four of his starts; it does not bode well.
The reality is that, despite how talented this young individual is, he now looks unlikely to make it at Arsenal. Since he first broke through as one of English football’s best young talents, the landscape has changed back at the Emirates.
If Eze and Madueke now find form too, he can surely wave goodbye to any ambitions he had of becoming a first-team regular under Arteta.
Reportedly valued at around £50m over the summer, it would not be a surprise to see him depart permanently next year.
