Marseille recently landed Ethan Nwaneri on loan from Arsenal and the teenager netted on his debut, scoring in last Saturday's 3-1 victory over Lens
Ryan Taylor
16:23, 26 Jan 2026Updated 16:25, 26 Jan 2026
Ethan Nwaneri
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Ethan Nwaneri will return to Arsenal following the conclusion of his Marseille loan(Image: )
Marseille president Pablo Longoria has conceded the French giants never stood a chance of negotiating a permanent transfer option for Ethan Nwaneri.
Last week, OM pounced to secure a loan deal for Nwaneri with Arsenal that will run until the end of the season.
The teenager also got off to the best possible start, netting just 13 minutes into his debut for Robert De Zerbi's side in the 3-1 Ligue 1 victory over Lens.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Longoria has since confessed the agreement was only ever going to be a straight loan, even if Marseille had been interested in a permanent transfer.
Longoria said: “An option to buy? Let’s be very clear about one thing: an option to buy is unrealistic. He is one of Arsenal’s main assets for the future. For us, the value lies in his talent and his sporting performances.
“For Arsenal, it’s about his contribution to the game, and for the player, it’s a step in his progression and the fact of being coached by Roberto."
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Nwaneri curled a perfectly-placed effort to send the Stade Velodrome into raptures last weekend - his second goal of the season.
De Zerbi, who held talks with Mikel Arteta about a deal prior to its formalisation, is delighted to have landed the England U21 international.
"Nwaneri is a very high-level player, but he will become a great player," the former Brighton boss said.
"I am very happy. We played a first half of great quality. Both new signings had a good game, they are two very strong players."
Marseille's English midfielder #11 Ethan Nwaneri (C) celebrates after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and RC Lens at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, southern France, on January 24, 2026
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Ethan Nwaneri netted on his Marseille debut(Image: Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP via Getty Images)
Nwaneri had felt minutes hard to come by at Arsenal this season despite recently starting the 4-1 FA Cup win at Portsmouth.
Even though he's departed the Gunners on loan in the midst of their Premier League title charge, he will still qualify for a medal if they were to go the distance.
Arsenal made it clear they would not be open to negotiating a buy-option clause because they still believe Nwaneri has a big future at the Emirates Stadium. He will return to north London this summer when his future will be reassessed.
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Nwaneri shared his delight after netting on his OM debut, stating: I saw the space, I took advantage, I accelerated and felt there was an opportunity to score. I'm very happy for myself and for the supporters.”
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