Arsenal transfer news: Ethan Nwaneri sent brutal 'failure' verdict amid Marseille loan struggles

Ethan Nwaneri was loaned to Marseille by Arsenal this winter. But the young attacking midfielder has struggled to find his footing at the French club, and his return to the Gunners looks unlikely to be a triumphant one.

Having spent the first half of the season on the bench at the Premier League leaders, Nwaneri joined Olympique Marseille in January to play under Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian, however, departed after just four matches — all of which the Arsenal man had started.

Now a substitute under Habib Beye and the biggest casualty of the managerial change, the situation is "not easy" for the young Englishman, according to Fabrizio Romano, who addressed his future on his YouTube channel.

Ethan Nwaneri: A Return to Arsenal Before Another Departure?

According to the Italian journalist, Arsenal "maintain full confidence" in Nwaneri, even if the "situation" has been "different" from what was "originally expected" at Marseille. When his loan at the Ligue 1 third-placed side comes to an end, the attacking midfielder will return to the Gunners — though perhaps not for long:

"In the summer, they will speak to the player to understand what's the best situation for him, whether it's staying at Arsenal or maybe going on loan somewhere else. So, they will assess all the options with the player."

It is, however, difficult to imagine that a player who cannot hold down a place at Marseille would be considered a credible option at Arsenal, current Premier League leaders and still competing in the Champions League.

Nwaneri's Marseille loan: All for nothing?

Marseille, who hold no purchase option for Nwaneri, will not push to sign the 18-year-old permanently in the next summer window — even though the Englishman did shine on his debut against Lens (3-1), before disappointing with a missed and decisive penalty against Toulouse in the Coupe de France.

This loan was supposed to give the forward the playing time he needed, and perhaps allow him to establish himself at a club famed for its pressure and instability. Yet the move already looks like a failure — both from Marseille's perspective, with the club barely counting on him, and from Arsenal's, where the prospect of sending him out on loan again next summer is a very real one.