Mikel Arteta drops Ethan Nwaneri loan update as Arsenal ‘line up’ a return

Arsenal will look to bounce back from a Premier League stumble against Brentford as they welcome Wigan Athletic to the Emirates on Sunday in the FA Cup

Arsenal will hope to make easy work of Wigan Athletic as they return to FA Cup action on Sunday. The Gunners drew 1-1 against Brentford in their last Premier League outing.

Mikel Arteta’s side are still brawling on four fronts this season and they will face League One opposition in the FA Cup fourth round. Wigan travel to north London late on Sunday afternoon.

Head coach Arteta is expected to ring the changes for what should be a straightforward cup tie as his team look to put Thursday’s stalemate with the Bees behind them. They still hold a four-point lead atop the Premier League table over the chasing Manchester City.

Away from the current first team, Ethan Nwaneri also suffered a setback on loan at Marseille after manager Roberto De Zerbi departed. Arteta has now confirmed whether he regrets sending the youngster to France as Mirror Football brings you the latest updates from the Emirates.

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Ethan Nwaneri ‘regret’ addressed

The promising Nwaneri was shipped out on loan to Marseille in January to gain first-team experience and things initially looked bright. He grabbed a goal on his debut.

But since then, Marseille have parted company with their manager De Zerbi, who Arteta claimed was a major reason Nwaneri was sent to the French club. Not to mention, injuries to Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz mean the Gunners could have maybe done with some attacking reinforcements.

In his press conference before Sunday’s clash with Wigan, Arteta was asked if he regretted sending Nwaneri on loan. He said: “After making the decision, who could have predicted that Mikel was going to be out for five months and Kai?

“It’s unfortunate. At the end we had to make the decision on the moment understanding the context there and the best decision for the club and for Ethan. For sure it was for him to go and experience a different environment, play minutes and get ready to come back to us.

“I cannot control [De Zerbi leaving]. Again it’s a decision and that’s part of playing on loan. That’s part of a journey of a football player. So you’re going to have to work with different coaches and that can happen any moment, you cannot control that, you cannot avoid that.

“Yes, one of the reasons [we sent him there] for sure it was Roberto, but also it was Marseille and what Marseille as a club and as an environment brings to Ethan. I think that’s going to be still very positive.”

Winger linked with Premier League return

On the topic of attacking reinforcements, reports from Italy suggest Arsenal are interested in bringing ex-Chelsea star Christian Pulisic back to the Premier League.

The American first arrived in England back in 2019 and was part of Chelsea’s 2020/21 Champions League-winning squad. He left west London in 2023 to join AC Milan.

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But with his contract expiring in 2027 as things stand, Tuttomercatoweb report that talks over a new deal are on hold. They also claim that both the Gunners and Liverpool are keeping an eye on the 27-year-old’s situation and are lining up a possible approach.

Pulisic scored 26 goals in 145 appearances for Chelsea and alongside the Champions League win, he earned 2021 Club World Cup and Super Cup honours.

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