David Seaman said Ethan Nwaneri’s loan move to Marseille ‘is sensible’ – but insisted he would stay at Arsenal if he was within the young midfielder’s shoes.
Nwaneri appears to be closing in on a loan move to Marseille having struggled to get regular minutes in Mikel Arteta’s side this season.
The teenager’s high-quality form last season saw him sign a brand new, long-term contract in the summertime, but he has been limited to simply 12 first-team appearances this campaign.
Nwaneri’s six Premier League appearances have all come as an alternative and he has made only one start within the Champions League.
The 18-year-old’s move to France will probably be a straight loan and not using a everlasting option, but former Arsenal goalkeeper Seaman says he would still prefer to see Nwaneri remain in north London for the remaining of the season.
‘The thing with Ethan obviously is that he got a taste of the primary team last season and a bit this season, but he’s still young and he’s still learning,’ Seaman told talkSPORT.
‘For me, he goes out on loan if anything but when I used to be him I’d stay where I’m since you never know what could occur with injuries and things.
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‘With Ethan I’d hate him to go anywhere else because he’s such a superb player.’
Seaman, nevertheless, did concede that regular first-team minutes under Roberto De Zerbi will ultimately serve to learn Nwaneri’s progression.
‘Game time is what you’re after,’ he added. ‘When you find yourself playing friendly matches and academy matches it’s not the identical.
‘You wish that game time and you’ll want to need to make decisions in matches not only in training.
‘In training there isn’t any consequence so that you never really learn rather a lot about decision-making, it’s only in matches where you learn all the things in regards to the pace of the match and all those varieties of things.
‘So a loan at essentially the most, but I’d still like him to remain there.’
Speaking ahead of Marseille’s Champions League clash with Liverpool, head coach De Zerbi admitted he was a fan of the young Arsenal midfielder.
‘Regarding the transfer market, I don’t think it’s the suitable time to speak about it,’ the Italian said on Tuesday.
‘I do know him, he’s a superb player. But you’ll need to ask [Marseille president Pablo] Longoria.’
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