Arsenal’s midfield is about to get very crowded. And that’s a real problem for Ethan Nwaneri.
The 19-year-old returned from a frustrating loan at Marseille this summer with plenty to prove. He scored a stunning curler in pre-season against MK Dons, reminding everyone why he’s so highly rated. But with Bruno Guimarães on the verge of a €90 million move from Newcastle, where exactly does Nwaneri fit?
Mikel Arteta spoke about Nwaneri after Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Girona on Saturday. His comments were telling.
“When you just stand in front of him, you sense the maturity and he looks like a different man,” Arteta said. “The experience on paper, it wasn’t ideal but I think he went through something that is going to help him a lot in his career.”
It’s the kind of praise that sounds warm but doesn’t quite promise anything concrete. And that’s the issue.
A Crowded Midfield Leaves Little Room
Once Arsenal’s full squad reassembles after the World Cup, the options in midfield and attacking midfield positions are staggering. Consider the names Arteta will have at his disposal:
- Declan Rice
- Martin Ødegaard
- Martin Zubimendi
- Eberechi Eze
- Myles Lewis-Skelly
- Mikel Merino
- Bruno Guimarães (pending completion)
That’s seven players before you even get to Nwaneri. Last season, he managed just 927 minutes across all competitions. For a player who needs regular football at this stage of his development, sitting on the bench isn’t going to cut it.
His 2024-25 season was the real breakthrough — 37 appearances, nine goals, a PFA Young Player of the Year nomination. He looked destined for a starting role. Then came the signings of Eze and Noni Madueke, and the pathway narrowed sharply.
The Marseille Loan Didn’t Go to Plan
The January move to Marseille was supposed to follow the William Saliba blueprint. Arteta even referenced Saliba’s successful loan there when explaining the decision.
But it didn’t work out that way. Roberto De Zerbi, the main reason Nwaneri chose Marseille, left the club in February — just weeks after the teenager arrived. De Zerbi has since taken the Tottenham job, which Arseblog’s Andrew Mangan pointedly noted shows “zero conscience and integrity.”
Under new management, Nwaneri’s minutes dried up. He was dispossessed 2.9 times per 90 and completed just 38.5% of his dribbles, according to Livescore. He scored on his Ligue 1 debut against Lens but faded from the picture after that.
It wasn’t the disaster some have painted it as. But it wasn’t a success either.
The Dowman Factor and What Comes Next
Here’s the part that doesn’t get discussed enough. Arsenal have another left-footed attacking midfielder coming through — and he might be even better.
Max Dowman is only 16 but already looks the part. He scored and provided an assist in the Girona win, blasting a powerful finish from outside the box. He’s been the standout performer of pre-season. And he plays the exact same positions as Nwaneri.
It’s rare to see two academy talents of this calibre emerge at almost the same time. But if Arsenal are thinking long-term — and they always are — Dowman’s trajectory could influence Nwaneri’s future more than any transfer rumour.
And there are plenty of those. AC Milan have enquired about a deal with a buy-back clause. Borussia Dortmund are interested in a loan or permanent move. Fulham and RB Leipzig are also monitoring the situation.
An Arsenal source told Arsenal Insider they don’t expect a sale. “I never really felt that Ethan Nwaneri would leave Arsenal,” they said. “At most, I think Arsenal would loan him.”
That feels like the most likely outcome. Another loan — this time to a club that’ll actually play him — would let Arsenal delay the big decision for another year without tanking his value.
Nwaneri will likely feature when Arsenal play Real Betis in Dublin on Wednesday. It’s another chance to impress. But with the squad Arteta is building, impressing in pre-season friendlies might not be enough.
He’s still only 19. There’s time. But in football, time has a habit of running out faster than you’d expect.
