Arteta’s fears coming true as transfer threatens to go sour

Robin Bairner

14 Feb 2026 15:48 GMT
4 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

Arsenal’s biggest move in the January transfer window was shifting Ethan Nwaneri out on loan to Marseille – but after a promising start, Mikel Arteta has legitimate reason to believe that the deal may not be what he hoped.

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Nwaneri pushed to leave the Emirates Stadium in the midseason window due to a lack of match action with the Gunners.

While there was ample interest for the 18-year-old, Marseille ultimately won the race.

Current ETV

Ethan Nwaneri

M (C), F (R)

Marseille

Ethan Nwaneri

M (C), F (R)

Marseille

ETV Range

€48.4M - €59.2M

De Zerbi key to Nwaneri deal

One of the primary reasons that Nwaneri wound up at Stade Velodrome for the second half of the campaign was the presence of Roberto De Zerbi in the dugout.

“We had to pick the right place, and having all the options, understand the experience that we had in Marseille as well with William Saliba, the fact that Roberto De Zerbi is there, and he’s an incredible developer of young talent, and he’s a really courageous manager in the way he plays with young talent as well,” the Arsenal manager enthused.

“He has a big track record about that, and I think it fits the way of playing for the qualities that we want to see for Ethan. So it’s going to be a great experience for him.”

Except De Zerbi is no longer with Marseille, having left only 18 days after Nwaneri arrived at Stade Velodrome.

A sign of things to come for Arsenal star?

OM have yet to name their next manager, despite the indications being that Habib Beye will get the job until the summer at least.

But there has been a worrying development for Arteta and Nwaneri.

The Arsenal midfielder was left out of the starting XI in the first match since De Zerbi’s departure. Having been used as a No.10 in the early weeks of his career in France, he finds his spot taken by Amine Gouiri.

It sends out a worrying signal and suggests that Nwaneri faces a new battle for game time.

Arsenal’s Nwaneri failsafe

This is a surprising development given that the Englishman had shown early promise in Marseille.

Furthermore, there’s a financial incentive for OM to use the youngster. The more Nwaneri plays, the less Marseille will pay towards his loan fee.

Arsenal would not have expected to need this failsafe, nor would they have wanted to use it. The success of a loan that had promised so much already seems to hang in the balance.

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