Arsenal will not look to offload Ethan Nwaneri this summer despite his struggles while on loan at Olympique Marseille.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have no plans of cashing in on Ethan Nwaneri this summer despite exit links. The Gunners retain faith in the teenage attacking sensation, who is not having the best of times since joining Olympique Marseille on loan mid-season.
Nwaneri has been a part of the Arsenal setup since his childhood days. He went up the ranks at some pace and got promoted to the first team in the summer of 2024. In his debut campaign, he was involved in 37 matches, racked up close to 1,400 minutes and even contributed towards 11 goals.
While the 18-year-old attacking midfielder made an impressive start to life at the highest level, he struggled to get enough minutes during the first half of the ongoing campaign. As a result, the Gunners ended up sending him out on loan to Marseille.
He was expected to have a prominent role in the French club under Roberto De Zerbi. However, the former Brighton boss parted ways with the club in February, and things haven’t gone according to plan for the Arsenal attacker.
He has been involved in just seven goals and has two goal contributions to his name. With him struggling to establish himself at the French club, the 18-year-old has been linked with a move away. Reports have suggested that Arsenal could look to cash in on him.
Fabrizio Romano on Nwaneri’s future
However, Romano believes that won’t be the case, as the North London club have complete faith in the youngster, who can feature anywhere in the attacking third. They have no plans of selling him anytime soon.
Romano said on his YouTube channel, “Yes, for Nwaneri it’s not an easy situation at present obviously because he went to Olympique Marseille with the expectation to work under Roberto De Zerbi, and then De Zerbi decided to leave Marseille.
“So, it’s a completely different situation. Also, the expectation was for Marseille to continue their Champions League campaign, and then they got eliminated in the final minutes of the final game.
“So, it has been different compared to the expectations for Nwaneri. But, at the moment, I can guarantee that Arsenal maintain full confidence in the player.
“So, Arsenal are waiting for him to complete the season at Olympique Marseille for this final 10, 11 games and then come back to the club, come back to Arsenal. They believe in Nwaneri 100%.
“So, the message from Arsenal is still optimistic. In the summer, they will speak to the player to understand what’s the best situation for him, whether it’s staying at Arsenal or maybe going on loan somewhere else.
“So, they will assess all the options with the player. But Arsenal maintain full trust in Ethan.
“Even if they understand it has been an unlucky loan so far at Olympique Marseille, they believe in the player, they trust the player, they trust his potential, and so nothing has changes in terms of long-term plans.”
Despite his struggles, Arsenal believe he has a bright future at the club. They will hold talks with the teenager once he returns to the club, and then decide whether to send him on another loan or keep him at the club. A lot will depend on what the teenager wants going forward, as the Gunners hope he can return to his best.
