Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri has officially signed a six-month loan deal with Olympique Marseille.
The 18-year-old is one of the biggest talents of his age in world football, and plenty of clubs would’ve been keen to sign him.
However, Mikel Arteta personally convinced Nwaneri to join Marseille until the end of the season, which was a bit of a surprise.
The Arsenal manager has now explained his decision.
How many goals and assists do you think Ethan Nwaneri will end the season with under Roberto De Zerbi at Marseille?
Drop your predictions below👀
Mikel Arteta reveals the two reasons he chose Marseille for Ethan Nwaneri
When news first emerged that Ethan Nwaneri could be heading to Marseille on loan, many people found it strange.
The general feeling was that game time at a Premier League club would benefit the youngster a lot, as it is the toughest competition in the world.
However, after careful consideration behind the scenes, Mikel Arteta decided that Marseille was the best destination for him for two reasons.
One of them is Roberto De Zerbi’s proven record of developing young talent. The other is how well Marseille looked after William Saliba when he was there.
Arteta said in a press conference, as per Arsenal.com: “I think the talented young players that we have need minutes, and in this case, Ethan wasn’t having enough minutes, and the last thing that we want is to cut his development because he’s such a talent and someone who lives and breathes football; that’s his life.
“After having a discussion with him, with his father, the agent and the club, we decided that the best thing to do was to leave and go on loan.
“Then we had to pick the right place, and having all the options, understand the experience that we had in Marseille as well with William, the fact that Roberto is there, and he’s an incredible developer of young talent, and he’s a really courageous manager in the way he plays with young talent as well.
“He has a big track record about that, and I think it fits the way of playing for the qualities that we want to see for Ethan. So it’s going to be a great experience for him.”
If Arsenal received a £70m bid for Ethan Nwaneri in the summer, would you sell him?
Arsenal may have to extend Ethan Nwaneri’s loan deal in the summer
Half a season under a manager like De Zerbi will definitely help Nwaneri, but Arsenal may have to extend that deal in the summer if things go well.
That’s because both Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze are likely to remain at the club next season, and they will be ahead of the teenager in the pecking order.
It could only be in the 2027/28 season that Nwaneri gets regular game time at Arsenal in his preferred attacking midfield role.
We’re sure Arsenal will be tempted to bring Nwaneri back after his loan ends in the summer, but another year under De Zerbi could make him even better.
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