Nwaneri enjoyed a breakthrough season at Arsenal in 2024-25, with the teenager scoring nine goals and adding two assists in 39 games in all competitions. This term, however, he has been limited to just 12 matches, as Arteta frequently picked some of his more experienced Gunners team-mates. Amid the calls to give the England Under-21 international more game time, Arteta called for patience.
He said: "He’s 18 years old [and has] 50 appearances for the club. I want to see how many examples there are in English football with that number at that age. That’s a reality, that’s not if, if, if, that’s a reality. So if somebody were to tell him, any of us, two years ago, that number with the squad that we have, probably we would go, it doesn’t sound very realistic."
Then, on Friday, Nwaneri, whose contract at the Emirates runs until 2030, completed a loan move to Marseille for the second half of the campaign.
An Arsenal statement read: "Ethan Nwaneri has joined Olympique Marseille on loan until the end of the season. Our hugely talented 18-year-old has made 12 appearances in all competitions this season and will now get more valuable game time with the Ligue 1 side.
"We wish Ethan all the best for his time with Marseille and look forward to seeing him develop his talent in one of the best leagues in Europe."