Arsenal aren’t planning on loaning Ethan Nwaneri out in the January transfer window, Arsenal Insider understands.
Martin Odegaard has suffered from injury issues this season, yet Nwaneri has been restricted to just one start in all competitions.
The teenager was only named in the Gunners’ starting eleven for their trip to Port Vale in the League Cup, and is seemingly behind Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino in the pecking order.
Eze is expected to fill in for Odegaard during the captain’s absence, prompting many to question whether Nwaneri would benefit from a temporary stint away from North London in the second half of this campaign.
Arsenal have no plans to loan Ethan Nwaneri
Arsenal signed Eze for £67.5 million in the summer, and this acquisition was always going to create problems for Nwaneri.
The former Crystal Palace man was always likely to be next up in line in the creative role in the Gunners’ midfield, after Odegaard.
This role had been Nwaneri’s last season, and thus, his minutes have unsurprisingly taken a hit this term.
That said, the youngster doesn’t even turn 19 until March. To even be playing a squad role in a team competing for major honours means he’s significantly ahead of almost everyone else in his age bracket.
He’s got plenty of time to develop into an exceptional player, and transfer expert Graeme Bailey has revealed to Arsenal Insider that this is how the club feel about Nwaneri’s situation behind closed doors.
“Ethan Nwaneri is a huge part of Arsenal’s future, that’s true, but it doesn’t mean that he is not already a massive part of their present… he is and remains so,” Bailey said.
“There is no desire from Arsenal’s standpoint to look at a loan, it is not in their thinking. Likewise, the player is not looking at a loan; it is not a consideration from either side.”
Ethan Nwaneri will start at least two of Arsenal’s next seven games
Odegaard will be out of action until after the November international break.
This means the Norwegian will miss the Gunners’ next seven games across all competitions, including clashes with Fulham, Atletico Madrid and Crystal Palace.
This run also includes trips to Burnley, Sunderland and Slavia Prague, as well as a League Cup clash against Brighton.
The game against the Seagulls should be a nailed-on start for Nwaneri, as Mikel Arteta will likely want to rotate his side for that clash.
However, Eze won’t be able to play every other match in this run, and thus, the starlet can expect a start elsewhere.
Arteta may even opt to start the youngster against either Burnley or Sunderland, and if not, he may receive a starting berth in the Champions League clash in Prague.
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