Arsenal gem Ethan Nwaneri has endured a tough time so far at Marseille since joining the French giants on loan during the January transfer window
15:59, 06 Mar 2026
Ethan Nwaneri
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Ethan Nwaneri joined Marseille on loan from Arsenal in January
Reports in France indicate Marseille have already accepted that Ethan Nwaneri will not be at the club next season.
OM are currently facing heavy scrutiny in their homeland after they were knocked out of the Coupe de France on penalties against Toulouse in midweek.
The result means Marseille cannot win silverware this season and they're now locked in an intense dogfight to secure Champions League qualification for the 2026-27 campaign.
Arsenal youngster Nwaneri skied the decisive spot-kick on Wednesday evening following a 2-2 draw between the sides and the Gunners starlet was visibly distraught following his latest setback.
It's been a bumpy road to say the least for the England U21 international at the Stade Velodrome but make no mistake, Arsenal have not lost sight of his potential and believe he has all the attributes to become a world-class talent.
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L'Equipe, however, report that Nwaneri will definitely return to Arsenal and a permanent transfer push is not on the cards.
While OM already knew that to an extent because Arsenal refused to discuss including a buy-option in the loan, Nwaneri's early sparkling form in France had sparked speculation that an end-of-season deal could actually be of interest if the Gunners were willing to sell.
But that no longer seems a possibility according to French media as things have just not worked out for the 18-year-old in Ligue 1.
Instead, Nwaneri will be welcomed back at Arsenal with open arms this summer and there's hope he can utilise his European venture to push for a more prominent first-team role next term.
In fairness to Nwaneri, he's been up against it in France from the get-go, despite getting off to a dream start when he scored a pearler 13 minutes into his debut against table-toppers Lens.
LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 26: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta with Ethan Nwaneri during a training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on September 26, 2025 in London Colney, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Ethan Nwaneri will return to Arsenal this summer following the conclusion of his Marseille loan(Image: Stuart MacFarlane, Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Beyond that, Marseille were dumped out of the Champions League in brutal fashion on the final matchday of the group phase following a 3-0 defeat at Club Brugge and Nwaneri was not eligible to play.
OM would have actually snuck through into the play-offs had Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin not come up trumps to score a sensational last-minute goal to salvage qualification for th Portuguse side against Real Madrid.
Roberto De Zerbi, who spoke with Mikel Arteta to engineer Nwaneri's loan, was also sacked following a 5-0 mauling at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in Le Classique.
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Nwaneri assisted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's winner last weekend against Lyon and there is still time for him to get crucial playing time and further experience under his belt before the end of the season.
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