Arne Slot, Manger of Liverpool, shakes hands with Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield on May 11, 2025 in Liverpool, England.placeholder image
Arne Slot, Manger of Liverpool, shakes hands with Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, prior to the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield on May 11, 2025 in Liverpool, England. | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Marseille are working on signing Ethan Nwaneri from Arsenal this week
The Reds will visit the Stade Velodrome on Wednesday for their first European clash of 2026. They will need to secure a win to be in with the best chance of an automatic qualification spot in the next round. Otherwise, Arne Slot’s side will have to battle it out in the play-offs before they can progress to the knockouts.
Liverpool are currently ninth in the Champions League table, while Marseille are further down in 16th. They are also third in Ligue 1, eight points behind leaders Lens.
Marseille target Arsenal star ahead of Liverpool clash
According to The Athletic, Marseille are ‘working on’ a January deal for Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri. The French side are looking to sign the 18-year-old on loan for the remainder of the season, as he looks to secure more regular playing time.
Nwaneri has made 12 appearances in all competitions this season but has played just 165 minutes of Premier League football so far. It is understood that Arsenal will not include an option to buy in a potential deal but Mikel Arteta has held positive talks with Roberto De Zerbi over a short-term deal that could benefit all.
Fabrizio Romano has also offered an update on the situation, reporting that Nwaneri has ‘accepted’ the offer to join Marseille this window.
“Ethan Nwaneri has accepted to join Olympique Marseille. Arsenal also believe it’s the best solution on loan,” Romano wrote on social media. “Arteta also spoke with Roberto de Zerbi and OM seen as ideal solution. Straight loan deal at final stages, no buy option clause — expected to be agreed soon.”
Will Ethan Nwaneri play against Liverpool in the Champions League?
In short, no, Marseille will not be able to field Nwaneri against Liverpool this week. However, he will still be able to feature in the Champions League this season, after UEFA scrapped the old cup-tied rule in 2018.
Players are now permitted to represent two different clubs during the same season but January signings must wait until the next phase in the tournament.
Any players signed during this month will have to sit tight, as clubs are only able to register a maximum of three new players to their European squad once the league phase is over. This means former Liverpool target Antoine Semenyo will need to bide his time before Manchester City can include him in their squad.
The deadline for this is February 5th and applies for the Champions League, Europa League and the Conference League.
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