This time two years ago, all seemed well at Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s team were the best in the land, five points clear at the top of the table and in the midst of a seven-match winning run in the Premier League.
Behind the scenes in north London, though, there was a growing concern that one of the club’s most exciting young talents might be slipping out of their grasp. Ethan Nwaneri was approaching the end of his registration, and there was genuine fear at Arsenal that they would not be able to keep him.
Nwaneri’s ability was no secret – by then, he had already become the Premier League’s youngest ever player, at the age of just 15 years and 181 days – and rival clubs were extremely keen to lure him away from the Emirates Stadium.