Ethan Nwaneri drops major Arsenal hint over future just days into Marseille loan

Ethan Nwaneri has spoken in his first interview in France about his Arsenal future, having impressed for Marseille since moving there on loan less than a fortnight ago

Ethan Nwaneri has confirmed he will rejoin Arsenal after his Marseille loan spell concludes – though he hasn’t dismissed the possibility of a permanent move either. The England U21 star joined the French side on loan last month and marked his debut in style, finding the net just 13 minutes into a 3-1 triumph over Lens.

Nwaneri faced the press on Monday ahead of the club’s French Cup Round of 16 tie against Stade Rennes. The teenager was quizzed about his future and the absence of a buy-option clause.

He responded: “Yes, that’s true, anything is possible in football. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see if there’s any contact. I can’t tell you what will happen. We’ll see when it happens.”

The attacking midfielder is believed to have held private discussions with both William Saliba, who previously thrived during his loan stint at Marseille in the 2021-22 campaign, and Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard before making the switch to the Stade Velodrome.

Nwaneri insists Marseille’s prestige and illustrious past drew him to put pen to paper in the South of France, explaining: “First of all, I think Olympique de Marseille is a very big club. The coaches, the fans, the way they play, it’s extraordinary. The fans really give it their all.

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“I think it’s a great opportunity for me. I didn’t hesitate. Honestly, my answer to all of that was yes. I think that’s why I came. The experience, seeing a big club like this, learning as much as possible, and being able to really add that to my skill-set at the end of the season.

“When I came here, obviously I wasn’t yet 100 per cent fit, but I’m working on it. I’ve also spoken with the staff and I think I’ll be able to play more and more. I felt good during the last match. That’s normal, of course, it’s a process. There haven’t been any injuries, so I feel good, honestly.”

The opening 10 days of Nwaneri’s loan spell have been marred by frustration though, despite his fairytale debut and back-to-back Ligue 1 starts.

That’s down to Marseille crashing out of the Champions League on Wednesday night after a 3-0 hammering by Club Brugge, with Benfica keeper Anatoliy Trubin’s dramatic late heroics against Real Madrid sealing their fate.

Nwaneri watched from the stands in Belgium and was not eligible to take part. Although he would have been permitted to register for the knockout rounds.

Reflecting on Marseille’s European heartbreak, he commented: “Obviously, the whole team was very disappointed. We wanted to move forward, to progress in the Champions League. Obviously, the way we were eliminated is frustrating.

“It wasn’t a good feeling, but we have to react quickly. We don’t really have time to dwell on it. Two or three days later, we already had to play again. It’s disappointing, but we have to keep going.”

Arsenal are not anticipated to consider bringing Nwaneri back following Mikel Merino’s foot injury. There is no recall option included within the arrangement, in any case.

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