With the 2025/26 season reaching its business end, Arsenal will be looking towards the summer as they look to strengthen their ranks – and that includes returning loanees. French club Marseille are currently taking care of Ethan Nwaneri and a report has claimed they’ve now made a final decision whether they will take him on permanently.
The young Englishman graduated from the club’s academy ranks and became one of the most exciting youngsters in the Premier League. In fact, he became the division’s youngest player in September 2022 when he made his debut against Brentford.
What with Arsenal’s abundance of attacking talent, not helped by the addition of Noni Madueke in the summer, Nwaneri fell down Mikel Arteta’s pecking order in the summer.
As a result, the decision was made to loan him out to Marseille as a means of him getting extra minutes under his belt. At the time of writing, the 18-year-old has played 19 times for Los Phoceens and L’Equipe have now revealed what the Ligue 1 outfit’s plans are for the young talent.
Nwaneri’s struggles coincide with Marseille’s transfer decision
According to the reputable L’Equipe, Marseille – who are currently managed by Habib Beye – have already accepted that Nwaneri will not be at the club next season.
The club, at the time of writing, are facing intense scrutiny from fans and media after they were knocked out of the Coupe de France in midweek. Arsenal loanee Nwaneri missed the crucial penalty against his side’s rivals and French media reacted poorly to his display.
“Nwaneri precipitated the elimination of the Phocaean club and provoked the anger of some ultras after the final whistle,” wrote RMC Sport in the wake of Marseille’s chastening defeat.
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Since he scored on his debut, things haven’t panned out as many expected for one of Arsenal’s brightest young proteges: he’s plundered just three goal involvements (two goals and one assist) in 19 outings and he’s therefore likely to return to north London this summer.
The arrival of Beye, who replaced Roberto De Zerbi, has prevented Nwaneri being able to prove his worth in Ligue 1.
| Club | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Arsenal | 51 | 10 | 2 |
| Marseille | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Although the original deal between Arsenal and Marseille did not include loan-to-buy option, Ethan Nwaneri’s glittering start to life in France sparked the conversation of whether a permanent transfer could be struck.
That is, however, no longer a possibility it seems as L’Equipe – per Football.London – have ruled out a permanent transfer.
Arsenal set to welcome Nwaneri back with open arms
Instead of staying at Marseille, the teenage sensation will return to his boyhood club and continue his development. The Gunners, according to the report, have not lost sight of how talented Nwaneri is and they look forward to welcoming him back in the summer months.
There’s hope inside the four walls of the Arsenal base that he – an England Under-21 international – can utilise his experience in European football to push for a more prominent first-team role next term.
Martin Odegaard, despite being club captain, could be on the chopping block this summer given The Telegraph have revealed Arsenal will need to sell one first-team player this summer.
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The Norway international’s departure could leave a door ajar for Nwaneri, one of Hale End’s best products in recent years. He’ll have the likes of Eberechi Eze to contend with, however, from a central hub.
Despite spending time as a stopgap winger for Marseille, it’s clear that Nwaneri being used from a central position is the way forward. Even if Odegaard stays, the youngster will certainly get more minutes – which means he’ll be likely to bypass more loan deals.
