Arsenal rejected West Ham’s approach to sign Ethan Nwaneri on loan within the January transfer window, in keeping with reports.
West Ham, who currently sit 18th within the Premier League and five points adrift of safety, had targeted Nwaneri on a brief deal for the rest of the campaign to assist their fight against relegation.
Nevertheless, talkSPORT report that Arsenal’s preference was to send Nwaneri overseas and West Ham’s current situation counted against them.
On Friday, Nwaneri accomplished his loan move to Marseille, who’re managed by former Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
Speaking about Nwaneri’s loan move to Marseille during his press conference on Friday, Mikel Arteta said: ‘It’s something that we consistently should be monitoring.
‘I feel the talented young players that now we have need minutes, and on this case, Ethan wasn’t having enough minutes, and the final thing that we wish is to chop his development because he’s such a talent and someone who lives and breathes football; that’s his life.
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‘After having a discussion with him, along with his father, the agent and the club, we decided that the perfect thing to do was to depart and go on loan, after which now we have to choose the correct place, and having all the choices, understand the experience that we had in Marseille as well with [William Saliba], the proven fact that Roberto [De Zerbi] is there and he’s an incredible developer of young talent and he’s a very courageous manager in the best way he plays, the best way he plays with young talent as well and he has an enormous track record about that, and I feel it matches the best way of playing for the qualities that we wish to see for Ethan. So it’s going to be an incredible experience for him.’
Asked if he had spoken to Nwaneri about his own experience about joining a club on loan, Arteta said: ‘Yes, and never only me but plenty of players which have these sorts of situations and just understanding how he’s going to feel, because after they talk in regards to the opportunity and the clubs which can be serious about you, the very first thing is excitement.
‘You’re willing to play, you speak to the manager, he’s very keen on you and also you’re going to play on the weekend and also you’re going to begin plenty of games and that is all superb.
‘But sooner or later you’ve gotten to go ‘okay, pack your bags, that is the flight tickets and you’ve gotten to go to Marseille.’ Whoa, whoa, whoa. And that’s fear, is insecurity, is getting out of a spot that has been really comfortable for him around his family but then that is the thing at the top – you’ve gotten to be thrown there, into the sharks in an incredible football culture and atmosphere and club and it’s going to make him so good.’
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