'Our friendship is special' – Ethan Nwaneri opens up on 'opposite' relationship with Arsenal team-mate Myles Lewis-Skelly

Ethan Nwaneri has opened up on his "special friendship" with Arsenal team-mate Myles Lewis-Skelly.

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• Nwaneri & Lewis-Skelly are academy graduates
• Both have a deal with the Gunners until 2026
• Played key roles in Mikel Arteta's squad last season

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Both players have risen through the Arsenal academy ranks together and made a memorable impact during the 2024–25 season. Mikel Arteta handed them their first start together in a League Cup match against Bolton Wanderers and Lewis-Skelly played a key role in the build-up to Nwaneri’s debut goal for the Gunners, further highlighting the chemistry they have on the pitch; a partnership developed through years spent side by side at Arsenal’s Hale End academy.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The dynamic duo committed to their first professional contracts during the 2023–24 season. However, those deals are set to expire after the 2025-26 season. Nonetheless, Arsenal fans can expect to see more fireworks from both Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly beyond the next campaign as the club are actively engaged in discussions with the two players, hoping to tie down their long-term futures at the Emirates.

• WHAT LEWIS-SKELLY SAID

  “My relationship and friendship with Myles is so important,” Nwaneri told . “We’re so similar but so opposite at the same time. We think the same way, but the way that we might portray it to other people, he might seem more open and I might seem more closed off. Our friendship is special.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR NWANERI?

  Though just 18, Nwaneri is already making waves on the international scene. He enters this summer as the youngest member of England’s Under-21 squad, a fact made more impressive considering he is 18 months younger than the next-youngest player in the setup. He will look to build on that experience as the Young Lions kick off their Under-21 European Championship campaign against Czechia in their opening group fixture on Thursday before clashing with Slovenia and Germany in what promises to be a tough test for Lee Carsley’s side.