Arsenal are ready to allow loan move of Ethan Nwaneri, who will head to Marseille for the rest of the season after struggling for minutes under manager Mikel Arteta
Ethan Nwaneri will head to Marseille for the rest of the season (Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Steven Gerrard believes Arsenal were “very wise” to allow Ethan Nwaneri to go on loan, with the youngster set to join Marseille for the remainder of the season.
Nwaneri is the youngest player in the club’s history and has a big future ahead of him, but this season has been a challenge for him. The 18-year-old enjoyed plenty of chances last season, scoring nine goals, but this season he has mainly played for the team.
As Arsenal added quality to their forward line-up, Nwaneri fell down the pecking order, resulting in him heading to the South of France to earn regular minutes.
At the Stade Velodrome, Nwaneri will work under former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, with the Italian looking to further his playing career. Gerrard insists everyone can win in a move with the teenager set to return in the coming months.
He told TNT Sports: “I love it, I love it. If this works, everyone wins. Mikel Arteta is very smart here because he is sending De Zerbi, who has a proven track record of developing players. He will give him the time, education and development that he needs.”
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“He will get more minutes at Marseille and trying out the league and gaining experience like he did tonight won’t hurt his development. He has top talent but now he needs to gain experience and this will bode well for the future.”
Nwaneri signed a new long-term deal with Arsenal in the summer, but his development has stalled. There was talk of him heading to the likes of Bournemouth, but he will instead head to Ligue 1 to team up with former Gunner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Arsenal teenager will work under Robert de Zerbi in France (Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Gerrard admits Arteta may have wanted to keep him to add more depth but would have needed to take a long-term view of the situation.
“From a selfish point of view, he probably wanted to keep him close to the team,” he added. “He is aiming for the Premier League, they are in the Champions League, they are aiming for the quadruple at the moment.
“We want as many options as possible, but there’s a part of us thinking about the player and where we want him to be for the next few years.”
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