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Marseille star confirms Arsenal's worst Ethan Nwaneri fears
Tom Weber
- Updated: 28 Feb 2026 16:55 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Marseille midfielder Quinten Timber has confirmed that Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri has found it difficult to deal with the exit of Roberto de Zerbi.
The 18-year-old surprisingly departed the Gunners in January in a bid to get game time under his belt. Arsenal's strong summer recruitment had left Nwaneri on the periphery of Mikel Arteta's squad, so it was decided to allow him to leave the club on loan.
However, it didn't take long for doubts to emerge over whether offloading Nwaneri was actually sensible. Shortly after his departure, it was revealed that Mikel Merino had suffered a long-term foot injury, leaving Arsenal short of midfield options.
Current ETV
Ethan Nwaneri
M (C), F (R)
Marseille
Ethan Nwaneri
M (C), F (R)
Marseille
ETV Range
€48.4M - €59.2M
As for Nwaneri, his experience turned sour quite quickly as well. He was loaned to Ligue 1 giants Marseille specifically because of the presence of De Zerbi as head coach.
Arteta had personally spoken to the Italian and believed that a move to southern France would be perfect for Nwaneri. He glowingly recommended Marseille to the prodigy, as did William Saliba, who previously spent time at the Velodrome.
Nwaneri struggling with Marseille drama
However, not even three weeks after Nwaneri's arrival, De Zerbi was gone. The eccentric tactician quit the club after Marseille crashed out of the Champions League and were demolished 5-0 by PSG in Le Classique.
Sporting director Medhi Benatia also tendered his resignation, only to be stopped by owner Frank McCourt and invested with more authority at the expense of president Pablo Longoria, who himself has begun considering his future.
All this drama gave rise to concerns over the teenager, and it seems these fears were well-founded. Fellow January signing Quinten Timber, who joined at the same time as Nwaneri and accompanied him with his brother Jurrien to Marseille, confirmed that "it hasn't been easy."
"Ethan is a good guy," Timber said at a pre-match press conference before Sunday's Olympique Derby with Lyon. "It hasn’t been easy for him with everything going on recently, but it is part of his journey. My brother knows him really well. He told me he is a great player. I’m sure Marseille fans will appreciate him more in the coming months."
Nwaneri has yet to start since the departure of De Zerbi. He was an unused substitute against Strasbourg and only made a 19-minute cameo in Habib Beye's first game as head coach.
Marseille have a financial incentive to use Nwaneri as the loan fee they have to pay decreases with each game he plays, so he will surely see regular minutes again eventually, but this loan stint has so far definitely been the opposite of what Arsenal would have hoped for.
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