Arsenal are in need of a new midfielder following Mikel Merino’s injury.
The Gunners weren’t expected to do anything on transfer deadline day, but Andrea Berta is back on the market in search of a replacement.
The Sandro Tonali to Arsenal links have been described as ‘rubbish’, while there is no concrete update about any other target either.
That has led to many fans calling for Ethan Nwaneri to be brought back from his loan at Marseille, but there is a problem.
After Merino’s injury, who should Arsenal sign in a shock deadline day deal?
Arsenal did not include a recall clause in Ethan Nwaneri’s loan deal
Nwaneri joined Marseille on loan until the end of the season last month.
The teenager has had a great start to life in France. He scored on his debut and impressed everyone with his quality on the ball.
Marseille fans have been blown away by Nwaneri and are even dreaming of signing him on a permanent deal in the summer.
That will not happen, and there’s another thing that is not possible either – Arsenal recalling Nwaneri from his loan.
Sam Dean has revealed on X that the Gunners do not have a recall clause inserted in their deal with Marseille.
That prohibits them from bringing Nwaneri back whenever they want. If they want it to happen, they will have to strike an agreement with Marseille again.
With the transfer window set to shut at 7 pm today, there’s no way Roberto De Zerbi’s side would accept that.
Arsenal need to use an internal solution to solve the Mikel Merino problem
Links to Tonali are exciting, and bringing Nwaneri back will make many happy as well.
However, the chances of either deal happening before the transfer deadline are next to zero, which is why Arsenal need to look at internal solutions.
We think the simplest way to solve the Merino problem is by deploying Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield until the end of the season.
Agree or disagree: Myles Lewis-Skelly should get chances in midfield after Mikel Merino’s injury
The teenager is naturally a midfielder and has played there all his life. He has what it takes to do a job there, albeit he will not score headers like Merino.
Furthermore, Ife Ibrahim, who recently made his Arsenal debut, could also help out in some games, as can summer signing Christian Norgaard.
Losing Merino is a big blow, but Arsenal have enough options to cope.
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