“Probably…” – Mikel Arteta appears to confirm imminent Arsenal decision on “massive talent”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has seemingly confirmed that Ethan Nwaneri is set to leave the club for a loan move to Marseille.

It seems pretty clear that Arteta has backed up stories about Nwaneri sealing a temporary move away from the Emirates Stadium this January, with the Spanish tactician admitting that the 18-year-old deserves to be playing more.

Nwaneri has held positive talks over joining Marseille, according to a report yesterday from the Athletic, and Arteta was asked about this in his post-match press conference after the win at Inter Milan.

See below as Fabrizio Romano has reported this as the Gunners boss confirming Nwaneri’s departure…

??? Mikel Arteta confirms Ethan Nwaneri’s set to leave Arsenal on loan: “He is probably not playing the minutes he deserves. We have a massive talent there and we need to look after him”.

Loan move to Olympique Marseille will be sealed on Wednesday. ??? pic.twitter.com/i9jrT1Xq8q

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 20, 2026

Posting on X, Romano said: “Mikel Arteta confirms Ethan Nwaneri’s set to leave Arsenal on loan: ‘He is probably not playing the minutes he deserves. We have a massive talent there and we need to look after him’. Loan move to Olympique Marseille will be sealed on Wednesday.”

Some Arsenal fans might well be anxious about this deal, and about the fact that Nwaneri has generally struggled to play regularly this season.

The England Under-21 international looked superb as he gained more of a first-team role last term, making a total of 37 appearances and scoring nine goals.

Still, if Nwaneri can impress at Marseille then one imagines there’s surely a good chance for him to come back to Arsenal next season and play more often.

The north London giants loaned out William Saliba three times before he eventually came back and became one of their most important players, so there’s every chance Nwaneri will have the chance to do the same.

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