Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri already winning over Marseille after dream debut

Ethan Nwaneri’s surprise loan move from Arsenal to Marseille could hardly have started better.

The 18-year-old was not expected to leave Arsenal, yet a deal was struck with OM that promises to be an excellent move for both clubs if the youngster’s early impact is anything to go by.

Nwaneri was handed his debut for OM in Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash against league leaders Lens and has already won over Stade Velodrome.

The teenager made himself an instant hit in Provence with critics enthusing over his “dream debut”.

Nwaneri hailed in the media

L’Equipe rated Nwaneri’s performance as a 7/10, stating:

“Marseille’s newest signing quickly settled in. The day after his loan move from Arsenal, Ethan Nwaneri made a promising and, above all, winning debut.

“At 18, the Englishman already has around 50 appearances for the Gunners and wasn’t fazed by the Velodrome or the importance of the match.

“When a clear path opened up before him in the 13th minute, the striker took it at full speed, surged forward for nearly 30 metres, cut inside to his left, and then unleashed a perfect left-footed shot into the bottom corner past Risser.

“Dazzling with speed (3 dribbles), he tested the Lens goalkeeper with another lovely left-footed curler (54th minute). He certainly makes you want to see more of him.”

Marseille’s local paper La Provence was also taken by the teenager, also giving him 7/10.

“The ‘baby Gunner’ experienced a dream debut. He only needed 13 minutes to show his technical ease and his cold bloodedness. After a run of some 40 metres, which no Lens defender challenged him, he opened his left foot to beat Robin Risser.

“Thrown in at the deep end to give Mason Greenwood a break, he showed some promise and some nice touches.

“With these performances, his playing time will quickly increase.”

Ethan Nwaneri’s Marseille debut: Our opinion

Nwaneri certainly had an eye-catching Marseille debut but Roberto De Zerbi will be eager to see him have a more sustained impact on matches in the future. He showed his talent in flashes, bringing a decisive and exciting dimension to his team’s attacking play when he did so.

Any complaints about his performance, though, were splitting hairs. For a young player to change not only club but country and have such a massive impact within a matter of hours bodes very well for all parties.

What do Arsenal want from this loan?

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be looking for several things from Nwaneri’s loan at Marseille.

Firstly, he will want to see the teenager get plenty of minutes in a high-quality side. While Nwaneri has played plenty of matches for Arsenal, he has not truly tested with the rigours of first-team football on a twice-weekly basis as he will be at OM.

On top of this, he will want to see the player develop defensively. De Zerbi will ask new questions of his off-the-ball work at Marseille, and this education should help when he returns to Arsenal in the summer.

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