Premier League 2024-25: Who is Arsenal’s new striker Nathan Butler-Oyedeji?

Arsenal academy graduate Nathan Butler-Oyedeji made his Premier League debut against Leicester City in February and came on for Leandro Trossard against Ipswich Town two months later.

Following the news of only recognised striker Kai Havertz’s season-ending injury the 22-year-old moved up the picking order at the North London club, which is going through a serious injury crisis in the forward line.

The German forward joins other first-team players Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli on the treatment table, which puts Mikel Arteta in a serious predicament.

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With only Leandro Trossard, Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling and young sensation Ethan Nwaneri available for the front-three positions, The Gunners’ campaign is on the brink of collapse and Arteta must be creative to solve his problem. This comes after a quite January transfer window, where the club opted to not bring in any forward players.

Who is Arsenal striker Nathan Butler-Oyedeji?

Butler-Oyedeji joined Arsenal’s academy aged just eight. The London-born player is of Nigerian descent through his father, and Vincentian descent through his mother

At Hale End, he worked his way through the youth ranks, first representing the Arsenal U18s in the 2019-20 season. In total he has played 29 games for the U18, scoring three goals and providing only two assists.

Once promoted to U21, his numbers have drastically improved. Between the 2020/21 campaign and this season, Butler-Oyedeji had played as many as 60 games for the U21s, scoring 20 goals and providing 12 assists.

Butler-Oyedeji has also spent time out on loan in England’s lower divisions. He was first sent on loan to Accrington Stanley in 2022-23 season and played 11 games but failed to score. The next season, he went on to represent Cheltenham, but failed to make an impact at either in 14 matches.

Now 22, it has taken sometime for Butler-Oyedeji to get his chance in Arsenal’s first-team, but on January 22 his patience finally paid off. Arteta brought on the young striker for the dying minute of the Gunners 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25.

He wasn’t even on the pitch long enough to touch the ball, but did get to finally embrace the feeling of wearing the Arsenal shirt in front of 60,000 supporters at the Emirates stadium.