Arsenal rejected West Ham’s approach to sign Ethan Nwaneri on loan in the January transfer window, according to reports.
West Ham, who currently sit 18th in the Premier League and five points adrift of safety, had targeted Nwaneri on a temporary deal for the remainder of the campaign to help their fight against relegation.
However, talkSPORT report that Arsenal’s preference was to send Nwaneri overseas and West Ham’s current situation counted against them.
On Friday, Nwaneri completed his loan move to Marseille, who are 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 constantly have to be monitoring.
‘I think the talented young players that we have need minutes, and in this case, Ethan wasn’t having enough minutes, and the last thing that we want is to cut 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, with his father, the agent and the club, we decided that the best thing to do was to leave and go on loan, and then we have to pick the right place, and having all the options, understand the experience that we had in Marseille as well with [William Saliba], the fact that Roberto [De Zerbi] is there and he’s an incredible developer of young talent and he’s a really courageous manager in the way he plays, the way he plays with young talent as well and he has a big track record about that, and I think it fits the way of playing for the qualities that we want to see for Ethan. So it’s going to be a great experience for him.’
Asked if he had spoken to Nwaneri about his own experience about joining a club on loan, Arteta said: ‘Yes, and not only me but a lot of players that have these kinds of situations and just understanding how he’s going to feel, because when they talk about the opportunity and the clubs that are interested in you, the first thing is excitement.
‘You are willing to play, you speak to the manager, he’s very keen on you and you’re going to play at the weekend and you’re going to start a lot of games and this is all very good.
‘But one day you have to go ‘okay, pack your bags, this is the flight tickets and you have to go to Marseille.’ Whoa, whoa, whoa. And that is fear, is insecurity, is getting out of a place that has been really comfortable for him around his family but then this is the thing at the end – you have 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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