Andrea Berta has mostly been flawless since he joined Arsenal.
The Italian replaced Edu Gaspar to become the club’s new sporting director in March last year, and he produced an unprecedented summer transfer window by signing eight new players.
Berta also renewed the contracts of big players like William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, while Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to put pen to paper soon.
The Arsenal transfer chief deserves all the praise in the world for the above reasons, but he has made one big mistake with Ethan Nwaneri, and that could hurt the Gunners.
Fill in the blank: In five years, Ethan Nwaneri will be _________
How do you see the Arsenal youngster's future panning out…
Andrea Berta’s Ethan Nwaneri mistake could cost Arsenal
Nwaneri’s loan spell is proving to be a mistake.
One of the biggest reasons why the teenager was sent to Marseille was so that he could work under Roberto De Zerbi for six months.
In fact, Mikel Arteta personally convinced Nwaneri to join the French club on loan.
However, less than a month later, De Zerbi has left Marseille, leaving Nwaneri stuck there with a new manager who may know nothing about him.
To make things worse, Arsenal have found themselves in a bit of a crisis, with Mikel Merino ruled out until the end of the season and Kai Havertz also set for a spell on the sidelines.
Even Martin Odegaard missed the last game due to injury.
It would’ve been ideal to have the Hale End graduate back, but Arsenal don’t have the option to bring Nwaneri back because Andrea Berta did not insert a recall clause in his loan agreement.
That is a big mistake, as the 18-year-old is now stuck in France until the end of the season, and Arsenal could suffer if their injury issues worsen.
That could have a big impact on the Premier League title race.
Finish the sentence: Arsenal’s decision to send Ethan Nwaneri on loan to Marseille now looks __________ following Roberto De Zerbi’s sacking…
Arsenal should still try to bring Ethan Nwaneri back
A recall clause in Nwaneri’s contract does not exist, but Arsenal should still try to bring him back.
To do so, the Gunners will need to reach an agreement with Marseille to cut short his move, and that may involve financial compensation.
That is not ideal, but with four trophies still up for grabs and injury issues piling up, we believe Arsenal should do what it takes to bring Nwaneri back.
It remains to be seen if Berta will even make an attempt to correct the mistake he made in January.
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