Latest news with #Gunnersaurus
New York Times
08-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Ethan Nwaneri's new Arsenal contract is symbolic for the player, his club and their fans
Ethan Nwaneri was born less than two miles from the Emirates Stadium at Whittington Hospital in March 2007. Now 18, he has signed a five-year contract to continue living the dream of a local boy surrounded by all things Arsenal. Islington in north London is Nwaneri's home. He went to primary school in Archway, spent his spare time playing football at Whittington Park, and can still be spotted by eagle-eyed residents of the Holloway area. Just last month, the England Under-21 international was helping to support his community at a boxing club. A post shared by Islington Boxing Club (@islingtonboxingclub) The midfielder's first trip to the Emirates came courtesy of his uncle, who took him to an FA Youth Cup match as a four-year-old. Gunnersaurus, Arsenal's green dinosaur mascot, caught his eye and that was it. The first senior Arsenal game he watched was their 3-1 Champions League last-16 home defeat against Monaco in February 2015. Thankfully, that night did not put him off. Advertisement He would become the first player born after the Emirates was built to represent Arsenal when he made his debut aged 15 in September 2022. A supreme talent, there was always going to be outside interest when he entered the final 12 months of his first professional deal. That was signed in 2024 and set at three years, the legal maximum for all players under 18. A well-known prospect in his early teens, he had interest from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United before signing that deal. But even when talks over this new deal became more delicate, Nwaneri wanted to stay and Arsenal wanted to keep him. He spent time at Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur as a child, when getting a taste for multiple clubs is normal, but Nwaneri's pre-academy journey with Arsenal started as a five-year-old. He would stay behind after his sessions at the academy base, Hale End, to watch Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and others hone their skills as 'the older boys'. He was joined by friend and team-mate Myles Lewis-Skelly. Together, they have evoked similar emotions from fans who watched Saka and Smith Rowe help establish Mikel Arteta's project. Producing these players can be symbolic for Arsenal. No matter their race, age or gender, supporters will identify with players who come through the ranks and excel. The fact Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri are, in Nwaneri's words, 'so similar but so opposite at the same time' almost makes their coexistence in the first team all the better. Lewis-Skelly is more extroverted but both have found ways to shine. For Nwaneri, that comes through best when he plays as if he has not been coached. His first Premier League minutes at the Emirates, against Leicester City in September, gave regular match-goers their first proper taste of what that is like. On the pitch for seconds, his first action was to receive the ball in midfield, drive past two players and shoot from outside the box. His shot was saved, but with the score 2-2 in the dying embers, he changed the energy. Advertisement A visceral noise re-entered the ground and, with the help of Nwaneri, they scored twice to win 4-2. That ability to change the mood of 60,000 people (and even more who watch on TV) in an instant is rare. Nwaneri's decisiveness plays a part in that, and cropped up at various points of last season. In his second Premier League start, away to Brighton & Hove Albion, he had Declan Rice in support as he went through on goal but didn't have a second thought. He was in control and finished the attack. By the time Rice switched the ball to him with Arsenal 4-1 up against Manchester City, Nwaneri knew what he was going to do. He had been calling for the ball for 14 seconds, so quickly pushed it out of his feet and whipped it into the far corner. Once again, the Emirates erupted as he had joined Lewis-Skelly on the scoresheet. After his first Champions League goal away to Girona, Arteta said: 'That (Nwaneri's decisiveness) is what we love about him. That he's willing to take the initiative to make things happen.' 🎶 He's one of our own 🎶 Every Ethan Nwaneri goal so far 🎯 — Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 6, 2025 That willingness and ability to 'make things happen' is what any team needs. Nwaneri scored nine goals and assisted two in his breakout season, rivalling scoring records set by Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney before their 18th birthdays despite not being a centre-forward. There has been a shortage of players like that of late. Players who can truly disrupt defences, get people off their seats and remind spectators why they fell in love with the game. And that does not always have to be with goals or assists — when Nwaneri beats a defender with his quick feet, it is special. There were matches when these aspects of his game made him Arsenal's biggest attacking threat in Arteta's eyes — all while being the youngest player in the squad — a theme that continued when he was away helping England Under-21s retain the European Championship this summer. Advertisement During the tournament, head coach Lee Carsley, who played alongside Arteta for Everton in a 1-0 win over Arsenal three days before Nwaneri's birth, said: 'I love watching him play. Players like that really get you excited when they get the ball because you feel something is going to happen.' Thankfully for Arsenal, that will continue to be the case in north London. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
CNA
27-07-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Arsenal beat Newcastle United 3-2 in pre-season friendly in Singapore
Arsenal beat Newcastle United 3-2 in pre-season friendly in Singapore By CNA/Syamil Sapari Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard scores the winning goal from the penalty spot at the National Stadium on Jul 27. Arsenal player Riccardo Calafiori shields the ball from Newcastle's Kieran Trippier. Arsenal's Bukayo Saka duels for the ball against Newcastle's Alex Murphy. Arsenal's Mikel Merino celebrates alongside Bukayo Saka after scoring the first goal against Newcastle. Newcastle's Jacob Murphy celebrates after scoring the second goal against Arsenal. New Arsenal signing Viktor Gyökeres was unveiled at the National Stadium before the game. Arsenal fans showing their support for the team. Newcastle fans cheering for the team. Arsenal mascot Gunnersaurus greets fans before the game. Next Story
Economist
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Economist
Bring back Boris
People turn to animals when describing Boris Johnson. To his aides, the former prime minister was 'Big Dog'. One commentator labelled him a 'giant toad', squatting over British politics. Another said he was a 'bulletproof Gunnersaurus', after Arsenal's dinosaur mascot. When rumour emerged that Mr Johnson was considering a return to front-line politics, the menagerie expanded. 'The big, blond-maned cat is stalking the leader of the Tory party,' said one commentator, panting.
The Guardian
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Quiz: test your knowledge of English football's weird and wonderful mascots
Do you know your Moonchester from your Gunnersaurus? If so, this quiz on football's furry friends is for you
The Guardian
27-02-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Stick a fork in it
In the buildup to Arsenal's trip to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, with his side trailing Liverpool by 11 points, Mikel Arteta was repeatedly prodded with metaphorical sticks by interrogators hoping he would publicly concede that what passed for the title race was over. It was no great surprise that he refused to do so, even if what passed for the title race was clearly over. 'Mathematically, it's possible,' he said of Arsenal's Hollywood-actor-on-Ozempic slim chances of reeling in Liverpool … and that was before his team fell two further points behind Arne Slot's side in the title race after failing to beat Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. While the good news for the Spaniard is that it remains mathematically possible for Arsenal to win the title, it is becoming increasingly improbable with each passing match. Working on what currently looks an entirely misguided presumption that Arsenal will throw caution to the wind, stick a free-scoring Gunnersaurus up front and win all their remaining games, Liverpool can still win the title with three games to spare. As luck would have it, the first of those three dead rubbers would be against – you've guessed it – Arsenal, whose players would at least get to applaud the new champions out on to the Anfield sward and experience first hand what it feels like to play in a stadium packed to the rafters with delirious fans whose team has just won the Premier League title. Arteta might be better advised to look down rather than up mind, as even a thicko like Football Daily can tell that on current form, the possibility of his side failing to qualify for next season's Bigger Cup is far greater than that of them catching Liverpool, whose manager also wisely refused to acknowledge the title race is over as a meaningful contest. 'I don't know because I don't think that way,' said Slot, following his side's fairly tranquil home victory over an Alexander Isak-less Newcastle side who haven't won at Anfield since the Jurassic era. 'I think about Paris Saint-Germain already,' he added, quickly changing the subject to the first leg of next week's Bigger Cup game against a team who also enjoy a 13-point lead at the top of their table in a competition many English pundits have been known to sniffily dismiss as an uncompetitive Farmers' League. Meanwhile in another maligned and nearby championship, runaway leaders Celtic also lead their nearest rivals by 13 points, in a state of affairs that is bound to prompt horrified speculation in some quarters that the so-called Best League In The World™ is actually becoming no more competitive than the Scottish Premiership. … but it's not Arne. Join Rob Smyth from 8pm GMT for hot Premier League minute-by-minute coverage of West Ham 3-1 Leicester City. 'If I have one message to our president, it's lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being the 51st state. As an American, I'm ashamed of the arrogance and disregard that we've shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies' – Jesse Marsch digs out USA USA USA president Donald Trump over recent comments about the nation of his current employers. Roll on the Concacaf Nations League finals next month and a possible match-up. I too would like to jump on the Tottenham Hotspur nomenclature bandwagon (Football Daily letters passim) and insist that all future mentions of Grafarvogur's finest include their full name – Ungmennafelagio Fjolnir – as they list towards a mid-table or potential playoff spot in the Icelandic second tier. The first league game, against Knattspyrnudeild Keflavík, is not until 2 May. So, plenty of time for your scribes to prepare' – David Scott. Alongside Dan Davis' excellent list of happenings in response to your 'Beyond wars, what story from the 20th century was bigger than the sinking of the Titanic?' (yesterday's Football Daily letters), I'd like to add Micah Richards' – Roger Warner. Send letters to Today's letter o' the day winner is … David Scott, who gets some Football Weekly merch. We'll be in touch. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here. The Football Weekly Extra podcast is here for you. Ninety minutes on the clock at the Racecouse Ground and Wrexham are bound for a celebrity-filled day out to London in the Freight Rover Trophy final, home fans nervous but already belting out 'que sera sera'. Cue Bradley Ihionvien's added-time intervention for Peterborough United, securing a 2-2 draw and sending the game to penalties, which Posh would go on to win 4-2. 'We've thrown away the chance to go to Wembley,' fumed Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson. 'All we've got to do is head the ball out of the box, deal with it and we're at Wembley.' As for Peterborough, they can look forward to a final against Birmingham City in April. 'There will be 70-odd thousand and we will play against the best team in the league and we can look forward to it,' whooped manager Darren Ferguson. A senior figure in English football allegedly gave an underage girl £150 after raping her, high court documents claim. The man, who works in the Premier League but is protected by a court anonymity order, is being sued for damages by a woman for rape and sexual assault, which allegedly took place at his home in the 1990s when she was 15. Two Premier League summer transfer windows, Richard? Two? That's insane! Sarina Wiegman reckons the Lionesses' 1-0 Nations League victory over Spain shows they can compete with the world's best. 'We've shown that before and it was really good to show that again,' she roared. 'Mainly to ourselves, but also of course when you play such an intense game, I think the fans [too].' Manchester United are back to winning ways, beating Ipswich 3-2, but the post-match discourse still surrounds dramaaaaaaa, what with Alejandro Garnacho stomping down the tunnel on being sacrificed – not literally – by Ruben Amorim following Patrick Dorgu's first-half red card. 'You are making a connection with [Marcus] Rashford, right?' sniffed the Portuguese when quizzed after the match. 'I know, I know. What I'm saying is I'm going to obviously talk with Garnacho about that. So I will talk about that if you want in the next press conference.' In who-could-have-predicted-it news, Arsenal continue to pay for not paying for a striker, drawing 0-0 at second-place rivals Nottingham Forest. '[We showed] unquestionable character, how much we wanted it and tried,' cheered manager Mikel Arteta. 'We dominated the game. We tried in many different ways. We persisted but lacked that spark, that final pass to unlock a well-organised team.' Elsewhere in the Premier League, Manchester City's 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur or Spurs has propelled them back into the top four, while Everton's David Moyes bounce continues after their 1-1 draw at Brentford. And Cardiff boss Omer Riza is prioritising their ongoing battle to stay in the second tier over the chance of FA Cup glory as they prepare for a fifth-round clash at Aston Villa. 'I'm frustrated if I'm honest,' he sighed. 'It should be a good moment for us on Friday, it's a really big game, but there are a lot of things we need to contend with at the moment. I'd like to put my strongest team out so you can have a real go at it – and if we were 12th in the league I'd have no issues with that. But we have just got too many far more important games coming up, which is about surviving and staying in the Championship.' Ben Bloom takes a deep dive into the tumult caused by a crypto mogul's plan to merge Bedford's two non-league clubs. Max Rushden on the anti-referee epidemic around Europe. Norwegian FA chief Lise Klaveness gets her chat on with Philippe Auclair about Fifa reforms, speaking out over Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Gaza, and her bid for a place on for Uefa's ExCo. Grace Clinton is England's future, writes Jonathan Liew, after the Manchester United midfielder's impressive display in the win over Spain. And Tom Garry reflects on a performance the players described as 'proper English'. Philipp Lahm marks Bayern Munich's 125th birthday by outlining the simple secret to their success. And Plymouth Argyle fans salivating over their trip to Manchester City can get in the mood with Steven Pye's reliving of how they once reached the FA Cup semis. Looping back to the rooftops of Florence in September 2014 with the Viola's new signing … Micah Richards … for this interview. 'I don't speak Italian and I don't really have any mates in Florence,' he explained. 'I just thought it was the right thing to move here. It's a good league, a beautiful place, the lifestyle is unbelievable – just look at the views – and the people here are so friendly.'
