Marseille agree loan deal for Arsenal’s Nwaneri

Ethan Nwaneri will be on loan at Arsenal for the rest of the season, according to French club Marseille.

Nwaneri was not expected to join a team that is attempting to win a title, according to a report from BBC Sport earlier that year. Both the club and the player had the idea that the 18-year-old would benefit from playing in a team that is up for a title.

However, the player finds the prospect of playing football in a different league or nation while also receiving regular game time appealing.

The England Under-21 international has started four games for the Gunners in the Premier League, one more than the Gunners, and has scored once in the Carabao Cup. He has only made 12 appearances for the Gunners this season.

Nwaneri found his way into the first team under the pressure of the signings of Noni Madueke for £48.5 million and Eberechi Eze for £67 million. He signed a new contract in the summer until 2030.

Nwaneri’s expectation of regular minutes has increased as a result of his previous year’s preference for regular minutes, and he has not been surprised by the fact that he has two England internationals to play for.

Eze has struggled to make his way into the starting lineup for Arsenal in recent weeks, scoring 23 minutes in each of the club’s last six Premier League games. In four of those games, he was a substitute.

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

Arsenal are a top-seventh in the Premier League, seven points clear of Chelsea, have a 100% record in the Champions League, and they are in control of the Carabao Cup semi-final from the first leg.

The Gunners have signed a number of players as “win now” signings, including midfielders Martin Zubimendi, Eze, and striker Viktor Gyokeres, as part of their bid to end their season without a trophy.

In order to achieve goals, manager Mikel Arteta has chosen to use experienced players in midfield, with both Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie being preferred in the position this year.

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 found it harder to do things because of this.

Lewis-Skelly also made his first appearances for Arsenal last year, making 42 appearances across all competitions, including in both the impressive Champions League quarter-final victory over Real Madrid.

Lewis-Skelly scored against Albania in a 2-0 victory, and he looked set to become the Three Lions’ starting left-back at the World Cup because of how well his performances were. Thomas Tuchel gave him his England debut.

Lewis-Skelly has started in nine of his 23 games this year, but he has only started once in the Premier League and has left the England squad.

Without any form-related declines, it will always be difficult for young players to transition from the academy to the first team at a club like Arsenal.