Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard says Arsenal attacking midfielder Ethan Nwaneri will likely return from his loan spell at Marseille a “better player.”
Gerrard has described the Ligue One side’s manager, Roberto De Zerbi, as “box office”, and he thinks the Italian will unlock Nwaneri‘s potential:
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“If this works, everyone can be a winner from it, and I think Mikel Arteta is being extremely clever here as he’s sending him to De Zerbi, who has a track record for improving players. He’ll be given more game time, and he’ll get the development playing for Marseille. If he can sample experiences like tonight, it will do wonders for his development.”
“This will be great for him, hopefully in the future. From a selfish point of view, Mikel [Arteta] may have wanted to have kept him around the squad as they’re going for a quadruple, so they’ll need as many bodies around them as possible, but there’s got to be a part of you that thinks about the player and where he’s going to be in the next four years.”
“The experience he gets from this will make him a better player. Without a doubt, De Zerbi will make him a better player. As a coach, he is box office.”
Arsenal have incentivised Marseille to play Nwaneri
The conditions of the teenager’s loan mean that the French club will actually pay a lower loan fee if they select him on a regular basis between now and the summer.
Marseille have paid an initial £1.3m, but they could pay upwards of £3.5m if he isn’t given sufficient game time over the coming months.
De Zerbi has confirmed that Nwaneri could play this weekend
Speaking about the teenager and his other new signing, Feyenoord’s Quinten Timber, the former Brighton head coach said that both are in contention to face league leaders Lens:
“I’m absolutely delighted they’ve signed for OM; they could even play as soon as Saturday. They’re two quality players, with experience for Timber and talent for Nwaneri.”
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here