Ethan Nwaneri will be particularly alarmed after hearing who Arsenal are now looking at signing
Ethan Nwaneri’s loan at Marseille last season didn’t go to plan.
The teenager left last January after falling down the pecking order and went out to get regular minutes.
But following a swift Roberto De Zerbi departure, Nwaneri quickly got lost in the shuffle, and in hindsight he might as well have stayed at Arsenal.
During his spell in France, there was one player in particular who kept Nwaneri out of the team.
In Marseille’s big-game clash against PSG, for example, Nwaneri was hooked at half-time and replaced by Igor Paixao.
French media were high on the Brazilian’s direct threat and doubted Nwaneri’s ability to hold down a starting role.
Now, according to Flashscore, Arsenal are looking at signing Paixao.
Arsenal are interested in Igor Paixao
The report claims that Mikel Arteta’s side are still looking at strengthening the left side of the attack.
Gabriel Martinelli is set to join Al Hilal, which will leave the Gunners thin in that area of the pitch.
Christos Tzolis was signed to replace Leandro Trossard, and has impressed since joining, but he needs help.
Paixao is one of the options Arsenal are considering, and Nwaneri must be hoping history isn’t about to repeat itself.
Paixao logged 12 goal contributions in Ligue 1 and another 5 in Europe for Marseille last season.
He is comfortable operating from both flanks and could provide the exact sort of direct, creative threat that Arteta is after.
There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding Nwaneri this summer, and it seemed as though Arsenal were ready to cash in on the 19-year-old, but that stance has since changed.
Arsenal no longer want to let him go permanently, and are now prioritising loan offers for him.
The Gunners have been smart in creating perfect pathways for the their brightest prospects, and Nwaneri now looks to have a clear future in North London.
However, a late-window move for someone like Paixao could jeopardise that and push him further down the pecking order.
