16yo Nigerian LB who shares the same agent as Iwobi, Aina, Aribo trains with Arsenal first team

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta promoted talented Nigerian left-back Josh Ogunnaike to first team training on Friday, on the eve of his side's Premier League meeting with Newcastle United at St. James' Park, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

The Spaniard ran the rule over the fullback during the Gunners' last training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on November 01, 2024 in London Colney.

Arsenal are facing an injury crisis at fullback ahead of their showdown with Newcastle United.

Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are on the sidelines and unavailable for selection against the Magpies, while Ben White is struggling with a fresh issue after recovering from a groin injury.

The shortage of first-team fullbacks led to Ogunnaike being brought into first team training to make up the numbers.

Aged 16, he signed a scholarship deal with Arsenal ahead of the start of the 2024-2025 campaign.

Ogunnaike shares the same agent as Super Eagles stars Alex Iwobi, Joe Aribo, Ola Aina, Terem Moffi and Josh Maja - Elite Project Group, an agency owned by a Nigerian based in London. 

This season, Ogunnaike has appeared in four games in the U18 Premier League, including two starts. 

He has been described as a strong, powerful defender who likes to join the attack and excels in 1v1 defensive situations.

Ethan Nwaneri was spotted training with the first team today and should be named in the travelling squad to Newcastle. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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