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Jack Wilshere warns Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal future after admitting transfer interest

17 May 2026 18:03 BST | 4 min read

Ethan Nwaneri, Marseille, 2025/26

Jack Wilshere has warned Ethan Nwaneri that he will need a strong pre-season to secure his Arsenal future after a disappointing loan spell at Marseille.

Nwaneri is considered one of Arsenal’s brightest prospects but he joined Marseille on loan in January after barely featuring under Mikel Arteta in the first half of the season.

However, the 19-year-old has started just three times for the French giants and Wilshere insisted that it will be up to Nwaneri and fellow young teammate Max Dowman to make their mark in pre-season.

“[The loan] didn’t quite work out for [Nwaneri] but he would have learned so much about real live football,” Wilshere told talkSPORT." href="https://talksport.com/football/4260243/jack-wilshere-max-dowman-ethan-nwaneri-arsenal/" target="_blank">talkSPORT. “He would have learned more than that over in Marseille with how emotional they are and the fans and what they demand. It’s different.

“I feel like pre-season is big for both of them. I used to think like that as a young player, when it gets to pre-season and the off-season you do everything you can to come back and make sure you’re ahead of everyone. In pre-season everyone gets a chance, the minutes are shared. Then, it’s down to them to show Mikel and earn a place in his team.

“It will be hard, especially if they go on to be champions because expectation just goes up again. They both have the ability to do it but it’s down to them.”

Nwaneri fighting for Arsenal future after underwhelming Marseille loan

Nwaneri has come under fire from Marseille coach Habib Beye for not showing enough" href="https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/uk-premier-league/2026/04/arsenal-transfer-news-ethan-nwaneri-marseille-habib-beye" target="_blank">Nwaneri has come under fire from Marseille coach Habib Beye for not showing enough during his loan spell to warrant more minutes, having not featured at all for the Ligue 1 side in the last month.

Ethan Nwaneri has had a disappointing time on loan in Marseille.

With Arsenal desperate to continue splashing the cash this summer, Nwaneri’s ability to provide pure profit as an academy graduate could see the club sanction his sale during the upcoming transfer window.

Wilshere, who coached both Nwaneri and Dowman in Arsenal’s youth team, was full of praise for both players and even admitted he would happily take either of them on loan for his Luton Town team, who missed out on promotion from League One.

“The answer to that is yes!” Wilshere said when asked which player he would take on loan. “Whoever Mikel doesn’t want, I’ll just call him and ask him.”