London, Jan 21 (.) French club Marseille have agreed a deal to sign Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri on loan for the rest of the season.
BBC Sport previously reported that Nwaneri was not expected to go on loan this season, with the original feeling from both club and player being that the 18-year-old would benefit by being part
of a squad that is challenging for a title.
However, the prospect of playing football in another league and country while getting regular game time is a scenario that is appealing to the player.
The England Under-21 international has made just 12 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions this season, starting four games but none in the Premier League, and has scored
once in the Carabao Cup.
Nwaneri signed a new contract in the summer until 2030, but he has found his route into the first team challenged by the signings of Noni Madueke for £48.5m and Eberechi Eze for £67m.
Nwaneri’s taste of regular minutes last season has raised his expectations and having to fight for game time at a club like Arsenal has not surprised him, but with two England internationals ahead
of him, regular minutes have been hard to come by.
Eze himself has struggled to break into the Arsenal starting XI in recent weeks and has played 23 minutes in the Gunners’ last six Premier League games. He has been an unused substitute in four of those matches.
Last season, Nwaneri played mostly on the right wing and scored nine goals in 37 appearances in
all competitions to mark himself out as one of England’s most talented young players. But with Madueke the first choice as back-up to Bukayo Saka, and Eze the number 10 to challenge captain Martin Odegaard, the two positions Nwaneri would fit into have become harder to get.
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