Fabrizio Romano has said that Arsenal have no plans whatsoever to sell Ethan Nwaneri in the summer after the journalist reflected on a difficult spell for the teenager with Marseille and having revealed what the immediate future holds for the 18-year-old in France.
Nwaneri joined Marseille on loan from Arsenal in the winter transfer window and is scheduled to return to the Premier League club at the end of the season.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder was expected to be a regular for Marseille under then-manager Roberto De Zerbi. However, De Zerbi left his managerial role at Marseille by mutual consent in February, and things have been tough for Nwaneri. The English gem has been able to make only seven appearances for Marseille during his loan spell so far, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process.
The English gem is under contract at Arsenal until the summer of 2030, and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Premier League club have no plans whatsoever to sell him. Romano’s update on Nwaneri is in sharp contrast to a report in The Telegraph earlier this month. The report claimed that Nwaneri is one of the players that Arsenal could sell at the end of the season.
Fabrizio Romano guarantees Arsenal trust in Ethan Nwaneri
Romano said on his YouTube channel about Nwaneri: “Yes, for Nwaneri it’s not an easy situation at present obviously because he went to Olympique Marseille with the expectation to work under Roberto De Zerbi, and then De Zerbi decided to leave Marseille.
“So, it’s a completely different situation. Also, the expectation was for Marseille to continue their Champions League campaign, and then they got eliminated in the final minutes of the final game.”
“So, it has been different compared to the expectations for Nwaneri. But, at the moment, I can guarantee that Arsenal maintain full confidence in the player.
“So, Arsenal are waiting for him to complete the season at Olympique Marseille for this final 10, 11 games and then come back to the club, come back to Arsenal. They believe in Nwaneri 100%.”
Arsenal maintain full confidence in Ethan Nwaneri despite difficult loan
Fabrizio continued: “So, the message from Arsenal is still optimistic. In the summer, they will speak to the player to understand what’s the best situation for him, whether it’s staying at Arsenal or maybe going on loan somewhere else. So, they will assess all the options with the player. But Arsenal maintain full trust in Ethan.
“Even if they understand it has been an unlucky loan so far at Olympique Marseille, they believe in the player, they trust the player, they trust his potential, and so nothing has changed in terms of long-term plans.”
French publication L’Equipe has reported that Marseille have no plans to make Nwaneri’s loan deal permanent. Arsenal sent Nwaneri out on loan for the second half of the season to get some regular playing time. That is not happening, and it will be interesting to see what Nwaneri does next season, given that he will once again not be guaranteed a place in the Arsenal starting lineup.
Nwaneri faces decision over Arsenal future this summer
The circumstances at Marseille have conspired against Nwaneri.
De Zerbi’s departure removed the manager who specifically wanted him. Marseille’s Champions League elimination further diminished the appeal of the loan spell. Neither party could have predicted these developments when the deal was arranged.
Arsenal remain committed to Nwaneri’s development despite the setback. They will discuss his future with him this summer to determine the best path forward. Another loan spell at a different club could provide the regular minutes he needs. Alternatively, he might stay at Arsenal and compete for opportunities under Mikel Arteta. Romano’s guarantee that Arsenal will not sell him provides clarity amid speculation about his future at the Emirates Stadium.
