At a Glance:
- Ethan Nwaneri has returned from his loan at Marseille.
- The midfielder is back at Arsenal and with Mikel Arteta’s team.
- He’s set to join up with Thomas Tuchel’s England squad this summer.
Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri will join England’s preparation camp for the 2026 World Cup in Florida after the season has concluded.
The Gunners are on the precipice of a historic double, after winning the Premier League earlier this week, with the Champions League final in Budapest still to come. Mikel Arteta’s team were crowned champions on Tuesday night when Bournemouth held Manchester City to a draw at the Vitality Stadium, sparking wild celebrations on the streets of North London.
While Nwaneri will receive a winner’s medal for his efforts for Arsenal in the league, the Hale End graduate wasn’t around for the journey in the second half of the campaign. The teenager has spent the latter portion of the season on loan at Marseille, and has endured a rather difficult spell in the south of France.
Limited to just 11 appearances across all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit, new manager Habib Beye hasn’t fancied the Arsenal loanee.
The French season concluded last week, and Nwaneri returned to Sohba Realty to join in with Arsenal’s celebrations. He is not expected to feature in either of the Gunners’ two remaining matches.
He is, however, set to fly to Florida to take part in Thomas Tuchel’s squad’s preparations for the summer tournament in North America. International squads regularly carry an additional few players who aren’t in the official roster to bulk out their training sessions, and Nwaneri has been selected as one of these players.
Ethan Nwaneri will join our #ThreeLions' preparation camp in Florida ahead of the @FIFAWorldCup.
— England (@England) May 23, 2026
It’s likely he was a deliberate choice, with Arsenal probably feeling he needs more training and action after playing such sparse minutes across the course of the 2025/26 campaign, at both the Emirates and the Stade Velodrome.
Where does Ethan Nwaneri’s future lie?
Arsenal currently have a surplus of attacking midfielders at their disposal. Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze are senior options and key members of Arteta’s squad, and neither looks like leaving anytime soon.
Beneath them, Max Dowman is developing nicely and will surely demand more regular playing time with the rate of his development. On top of this, Kai Havertz will occasionally be used in this role, as he has done throughout this season.
Last time out against the Seagulls…
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 27, 2025
Ethan Nwaneri caps off a flowing Gunners move in the Carabao Cup 😮💨
🤝 @Bitpanda_global pic.twitter.com/U9ScqPRNW8
This means that it’s difficult to envisage a world where Nwaneri breaks in and is playing regularly, particularly with Noni Madueke now blocking his path as a Bukayo Saka back-up. Reports emerged in April indicating that Arsenal might be willing to sell Nwaneri this summer, and it’s looking increasingly likely that this is his path moving forward.
That said, the Gunners should instead refrain from cashing in in the next transfer window. Nwaneri has enormous potential, and they should at the very least sanction another loan so that he can realise that potential, and come back to Arsenal to play, or increase his value significantly.
