What the French media said about Ethan Nwaneri’s Marseille debut after Arsenal loan

Ethan Nwaneri enjoyed a sparkling debut for Marseille after completing his loan move from Arsenal this week.

Marseille have signed Nwaneri on loan until the end of the season, as the youngster bids for more minutes on the pitch.

The 18-year-old has made just 12 appearances for the Gunners this season amid injury returns and new arrivals.

Arsenal will hope Nwaneri’s loan can go similarly to William Saliba’s, who spent the 2021-22 season at Marseille.

Nwaneri confirmed that Saliba spoke highly of Marseille, where he was named Ligue 1‘s young player of the year before returning to a starting spot in Mikel Arteta‘s team.

French media praise Ethan Nwaneri after sensational moment

Nwaneri‘s talent was evident last season when the youngster, 17 at the time, broke into the Arsenal team and regularly performed.

He would go on to score nine goals and provide two assists across the course of the season, despite having started just 16 games.

Nwaneri signed a new long-term contract at Arsenal in the summer, and he is viewed as a key part of the future at the Emirates Stadium.

His trademark finish is to take the ball inside his defender before striking into the far corner with his left foot, and it was on full show just 13 minutes into his Marseille debut on Saturday.

Thrown in from the start against Ligue 1 leaders Lens, Nwaneri picked up the ball inside his own half and drove towards the penalty area before side-stepping the defender and stroking beautifully into the far corner.

Get Football News France rated the 18-year-old a seven out of 10 for his debut, and wrote: “A hugely promising debut from the Englishman, whose run from the halfway line finished with his first goal in Ligue 1 just days after signing for the club.

“He showed his quality in tight spaces, dribbling, and flicks. He did come off on the 60th minute for Mason Greenwood’s introduction – but the Arsenal man certainly enjoyed himself out there and he’ll be an indispensable asset for Roberto De Zerbi in the coming months.”

The stats behind Nwaneri’s Marseille debut

Nwaneri’s lack of minutes in recent weeks saw him substituted after just 58 minutes on Saturday, but his first impression was already made.

Outside of his goal, the midfielder took another shot, completed all three of the dribbles he attempted, and won the majority of his duels.

With Nwaneri also making two recoveries and completing five passes into the final third, the 18-year-old can count that as a very successful debut.

Marseille will next play Club Brugge in the Champions League, where the Arsenal product could make himself a hero given the French side’s precarious position in the table.

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