Arsenal’s Nwaneri joins Marseille on loan

Ethan Nwaneri, a midfielder for Arsenal, has agreed to stay on loan with Marseille until the end of the season.

The 18-year-old scored once in the Carabao Cup and made 12 appearances for the Gunners this season in all competitions, starting four games in the Premier League and scoring once in the Carabao Cup.

Nwaneri, who has a new contract through the summer until 2030, has found his way into the first team in opposition to Noni Madueke’s signings of £48.5 million and Eberechi Eze’s £67 million signings, who have already done so.

He was not expected to join a team that is up for trophies this season, according to a report from BBC Sport, with both the club and the player initially believing he would benefit more from playing in a team that was up for the challenge of winning.

The England Under-21 international made the decision because they were able to play football in a different league and nation while also receiving regular game time.

Marseille are currently tied with Paris St-Germain, who is eight points clear of Marseille in the table.

Nwaneri scored nine goals in all competitions last season, mostly on the right wing, making himself one of the nation’s most gifted young players.

Arsenal are 2-0 up on the season, seven points clear of the top of the Premier League, won all seven of their Champions League games, and now leads Chelsea 3-2 in their semi-final match against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.

This season, the Gunners are pursuing honors and have signed a number of players, including striker Viktor Gyokeres, Eze, and midfielder Martin Zubimendi.

In response to this, manager Mikel Arteta has looked at using players with experience to produce results, with Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie preferred in left-back this year, while Odegaard and Zubimendi are preferred in midfield.

After playing for the Bayer Leverkusen team that won the Bundesliga between 2023 and 2024, Hincapie has the experience to bring home a league title.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, a fellow academy graduate from Nwaneri, has also found the situation challenging.

The 19-year-old full-back also took his chance last year at Arsenal because of his injury problems, appearing in 42 games across all competitions, including in both games of the impressive Champions League quarter-final victory over Real Madrid.

Lewis-Skelly appeared to be a strong contender to play left back for the Three Lions at the World Cup because his performances were so outstanding that Thomas Tuchel gave him an England debut. He scored against Albania in a 2-0 victory.

He left the England squad after only nine of his 23 starts this season, including one in the Premier League.

Young players from the academy always had to struggle to make it to the first team at an Arsenal club and continue doing so.