What Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille exit means for Ethan Nwaneri

Robin Bairner

11 Feb 2026 11:32 GMT
5 min read

Ethan Nwaneri, Marseille, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

Roberto De Zerbi departed Marseille in a move that leaves questions for Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri.

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The Gunners were reticent to allow the teenager to leave in January but ultimately agreed to a deal based on the player's desire for more minutes. But they carefully selected Marseille as his destination.

Mikel Arteta specifically cited the influence of the Italian as being vital in agreeing to allow Nwaneri to move to France for the second half of the season.

Current ETV

Ethan Nwaneri

M (C), F (R)

Marseille

Ethan Nwaneri

M (C), F (R)

Marseille

ETV Range

€48.4M - €59.2M

“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.”

Nwaneri’s experience of working under De Zerbi lasted a mere four games and only 18 days. So what does the future hold for the youngster now?

Nwaneri fears can be pushed aside

Arsenal have no recall clause in Nwaneri’s loan agreement, so he will remain at Marseille for the remainder of the season.

OM are likely to act quickly to find a replacement for De Zerbi, with former Rennes boss Habib Beye favourite for the job.

The good news for Arsenal is that Beye also has a track record of cultivating young talent – albeit over a shorter time period than De Zerbi.

Sacked by Rennes earlier this week, one of the reasons he clashed with the board was over Jeremy Jacquet and Mohamed Kader Meite, who were sold for a combined €100 million in the January transfer window to Liverpool and Al Hilal, respectively. The boss felt his impact in their development merited a share of the profits.

Rennes, after all, leaned heavily on their academy products, with 19-year-old Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal also drafted into the first team on a regular basis under Beye’s watch. These three players have featured in a combined 47 Ligue 1 games this season.

Nwaneri has little need to fear for minutes here: if Beye feels he is good enough, he will play.

Arteta suffers blow

Beye preferred a 3-5-2 formation while with Rennes, and this might also be to Nwaneri’s benefit when it comes to gaining minutes. He stands a strong chance of playing as a central midfielder with attacking responsibilities.

Marseille signed him to provide additional scoring power from the heart of the pitch, and with Beye having used a 3-4-1-2 previously in his career, there is every chance Nwaneri could operate in this No.10 role. The Stade Velodrome club are lacking in other natural options for this role, despite signing Himad Abdelli from Angers in January.

What his new coach will not be able to provide him that De Zerbi would have, is additional tactical flexibility and understanding. This is unlikely to align fully with Arteta’s vision for this loan as he loves his Arsenal stars to have these qualities in abundance.

© IMAGO - Roberto De Zerbi: Arsenal had hoped he would give Nwaneri a tactical lesson

Arsenal’s backup plan activated

Arsenal do have some insurance in this saga, meanwhile.

When they brokered the loan deal, they did so in a manner that allowed them to profit if Marseille chose not to field Nwaneri.

Marseille have already paid an initial €1.5 million for the loan agreement, which does not feature a buy option. This price could rise to €4m – but crucially, the more he plays, the less the French team will pay.

Arsenal have loaded the deal to ensure that Nwaneri gets the minutes they want, and even the departure of De Zerbi is unlikely to disrupt this.

However, the tactical improvements that Arteta wanted his young charge from the Italian are unlikely to be replicated in this new regime.

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