Aneke joined Arsenal in 2001, age seven, and progressed through the ranks. He made his reserves debut against Maidenhead United in a pre-season friendly on 28 July 2009. Aneke, along with fellow academy player Benik Afobe, were offered the chance to visit FC Barcelona's training base with view to signing for them. However, he signed a professional contract with Arsenal in July 2010. Ahead of 2011–12 season, Aneke signed a contract extension with the club. He scored for Arsenal's reserve side in friendly victories against Woking, Hastings United, and Stevenage respectively. He finally made his competitive first-team debut for Arsenal in the club's 3–1 League Cup victory against Shrewsbury Town on 20 September 2011, coming on as a 90th-minute substitute in the match. Aneke joined League One side Stevenage on 22 November 2011, on a loan deal until January 2012. He made his debut for the club on 26 November, in Stevenage's 0–0 home draw with Walsall, playing 57 minutes of the match before being replaced by Darius Charles. Aneke was sent-off for a high-footed challenge in a 1–0 defeat to Leyton Orient on 2 January 2012, resulting in a three-game suspension. It was later announced that Aneke would remain on loan at Stevenage until March 2012, with a view to extending the loan until the end of the 2011–12 season. Aneke returned to his parent club on 5 March, and, on the same day, scored in a 2–0 reserve victory against Chelsea reserves. Linking-up with his manager at Stevenage, Graham Westley, on 22 March 2012 Aneke joined League One team Preston North End on-loan until the end of the 2011–12 season. On 24 March he made a scoring debut in a 1–1 draw against Bury. He went on to start once more before dropping to the bench for the subsequent six games. In September 2012, Aneke joined Crewe Alexandra on a month's loan, making his debut as a second-half substitute against Tranmere Rovers on 8 September. He started the following fixture, away at Stevenage, but received a second-half red card for a two-footed tackle, serving a three-match suspension. Aneke's loan spell with the club was extended until January, and later extended further until the end of the season. On 2 August 2013, Aneke returned to Crewe on a six-month loan from Arsenal, which was again later extended until the end of the season. After thirteen seasons, Aneke was released by Arsenal in June 2014 at the expiry of his contract.
On 21 June 2014, Zulte Waregem announced the signing of Aneke on a three-year contract following his release by Arsenal. Over the following two seasons which were interrupted by injury, Aneke made a total of 41 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals.
On 2 August 2016, whilst still recovering from an injury sustained at his previous club Zulte Waragem, Aneke joined League One side Milton Keynes Dons, signing a one-year deal with an option of a second year. On 22 November 2016, following almost twelve months on the sidelines through injury, Aneke made his league debut for the club, coming on as an 84th-minute substitute in a 2–3 home defeat to Chesterfield. He scored his first goals for the club, scoring twice in a 5–3 home win over Northampton Town on 21 January 2017. On 28 January 2017 Aneke scored two goals against Peterborough United. On 17 August 2017, Aneke signed an extended contract keeping him at the club until June 2019. In April 2019 Aneke was the subject of an alleged racist social media post. Following the club's relegation to League Two, Aneke was instrumental in helping Milton Keynes Dons achieve promotion back to League One at the first attempt, scoring 19 goals in all competitions during the 2018–19 season.
Charlton Athletic
On 28 June 2019, having declined an offer of a contract extension with Milton Keynes Dons, Aneke joined newly-promoted Championship club Charlton Athletic on a free transfer effective from 1 July 2019.
International career
Aneke has represented England at various youth levels. He was part of the England U-17 squad that qualified for the 2010 European Championship. However, Aneke was not in England's squad for the finals due to injury. He was replaced by Saido Berahino as England went on to win the tournament. Despite rumours that he had switched allegiances to Nigeria, Aneke was selected for the England U-19 team for a friendly against the Netherlands.
Style of play
Aneke is a player not known for his pace, but the ability to see a pass and physical strength. He has been compared to former Arsenal teammate Abou Diaby. Arsène Wenger also compared his style of play as similar to that of Manchester City's Yaya Touré, a player that Wenger had intended to sign in 2003 but failed when the player could not secure a work permit.
