Ethan Nwaneri's Marseille loan spell hasn't started well with manager Roberto De Zerbi departing amid rumours of player unrest
Ethan Nwaneri and William Saliba
Like Ethan Nwaneri, William Saliba was sent out on loan by Arsenal(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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If Ethan Nwaneri needs any motivation following a troubled start to his Marseille loan spell, he needs to look no further than William Saliba. The 18-year-old joined the French giants last month in a bid to secure the first-team football he had been lacking under Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
The move started well with a goal in a winning debut against Lens. However, matters have since deteriorated for Nwaneri, who was hauled off at half-time in successive games against Rennes in the French Cup and then during a 5-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain, which proved to be manager Roberto De Zerbi's last in charge.
Nwaneri had joined a squad where relations between the existing players and De Zerbi were strained. According to reports in France, many players weren't happy with his coaching methods and strictness.
Player power, it seems, won the day as the Italian left the club by mutual consent earlier this week. Former Marseille and Newcastle defender Habib Beye is the favourite to succeed him.
Where that leaves Nwaneri is unclear. But if nothing else, it will be a character-building experience for the youngster, much like Saliba's loan spells away from the Gunners before he established himself as a defensive lynchpin.
Not that Saliba always saw it that way. Having been signed in 2019 during Unai Emery's reign, the Frenchman stayed with Saint-Etienne on loan for the 2019/20 season, a move that made sense given he was still a teenager.
However, a subsequent loan move to Nice, sanctioned by Arteta, for the second half of the 2020/21 campaign didn't go down well with Saliba, who hit out at the decision.
William Saliba
Saliba wasn't happy about being sent on loan to Nice(Image: Getty Images)
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Upon leaving for Nice, a disgruntled Saliba said: "The coach immediately told me that I was not ready. I would have at least liked to have had a chance to rediscover my rhythm. But this is football, it's like that."
He later doubled down on that stance, telling RMC's 'Top of the Foot' show: "It is clear that so much has changed in the last year. When I saw that the coach changed, a lot changed for me too.
"In this year, there has been a lot of change. He [Arteta] judged me on two-and-a-half matches. I would have liked for him to play me more but he told me I wasn't ready.
"I was waiting for him to give me a chance, but football is like that. When I initially came to Arsenal, the league looked very good, so I showed up to training and wanted to train on my own to show the coach I was ready."
Ethan Nwaneri
All is not well behind the scenes at Nwaneri's new club(Image: Getty Images)
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He insisted he had no qualms about joining Nice, adding: "I am happy now, I want to play for Nice. The idea when you're part of a team is a better feeling for me."
While Nwaneri may also be questioning the wisdom of him being loaned to French football, Saliba's experience is a lesson that it could aid his career in the long run.
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