Arsenal are prepared to sell teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri this summer, opening the door for a transfer that would have been unthinkable just twelve months ago, Footynaija.com reports.
Nwaneri was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award last season after breaking into Arsenal’s first team with real force, making 37 appearances including seven in the Champions League.
The expectation heading into this campaign was that he would kick on and cement his place in Mikel Arteta’s plans.
Instead, the opposite happened. He managed just 166 minutes of league football in the first half of the season, all from the bench, before Arsenal sanctioned a loan move to Marseille in January.
Nwaneri arrived at Marseille expecting to work under Roberto De Zerbi, only for the Italian coach to leave the club in February and take charge of Tottenham Hotspur.
Replacement manager Habib Beye barely used him, and Nwaneri ends the season with just two goals and one assist from 11 appearances in all competitions for the French club.
Murmurs of attitude problems in training at Marseille have added to Arsenal’s concerns, and the club is now reportedly considering cashing in rather than reintegrating him into a squad that has just reached the Champions League final.
Seven clubs, one question for Nigeria
Reports Indicate that Chelsea hold the most concrete interest among English sides, having previously attempted to sign him before he agreed his current contract.
Juventus, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund complete the European picture, with at least three other Premier League clubs also monitoring developments. Arsenal’s asking price sits between £39m and £40m.
For Nigeria, the situation is loaded with familiar frustration. Nwaneri was born in Enfield, north London, to an Igbo-Nigerian father and English-French mother, making him eligible for the Super Eagles. He has, however, represented England at every youth level from under-16 upward and holds no senior caps for any nation.
The NFF has tracked his development closely, but with Nwaneri yet to publicly acknowledge any interest in the Super Eagles and his focus on securing his club future, the international question remains in the background for now.
Where he ends up this summer could shape that conversation. A move to Italy or Germany might slow England’s path to capping him permanently. A switch in the Premier League would likely accelerate it.
