According to The Athletic, Marseille are exploring a loan move for Ethan Nwaneri for the second half of the season.
The 18-year-old midfielder has found minutes hard to come by at Arsenal this term, making four starts across all competitions and totalling just 515 minutes of football. This represents a sharp contrast to this time last year, when injuries across Mikel Arteta’s squad saw the Hale End graduate make an impact as cover for Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
Nwaneri has not featured off the bench in the Premier League since a brief two-minute cameo in November’s North London derby and has been absent from the last four league matchday squads altogether.
David Ornstein reports that Marseille, currently third in Ligue 1 behind PSG and leaders Lens, are willing to pay a loan fee for the teenager after positive talks, though Arsenal remain keen to retain him long term.
Bournemouth and West Ham United have also been linked with Nwaneri in recent months. It’s believed he rejected interest from Borussia Dortmund in the summer in order to sign a new contract at the Emirates.
At the start of the season, Nwaneri may have harboured hopes of forcing his way into Thomas Tuchel’s England plans ahead of next summer’s World Cup. However, the arrival of Eberechi Eze – and Arteta’s apparent preference for the stability offered by Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Odegaard – has pushed both players down the pecking order.
Even if international ambitions have stalled for now, a productive loan spell could prove vital. There is no doubting Nwaneri’s talent, but at this stage of his development, regular minutes matter most.
Elsewhere, it looks like ex-Gunners Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Nuno Tavares could both be on the move this January. Norton-Cuffy, who plays for Serie A side Genoa, is wanted by a trio of Premier League clubs – Newcastle, Everton and West Ham – while Tavares has been linked with Besiktas. If deals materialise, Arsenal would be in line for payouts courtesy of sell-on clauses.
