£50m Arsenal star wants Premier League stay, snubs move abroad
Arsenal graduate Ethan Nwaneri plans to stay this summer unless an attractive offer from another Premier League club arrives, according to Sky Sports.
The 19-year-old had a lively pre-season with the Gunners, but he has not made a competitive appearance this term amid the fierce competition for places.
At the moment, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze are ahead of Nwaneri in the pecking order for his preferred attacking midfield position.
Nwaneri can operate on the right wing, but faces stern competition in the form of Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and 16-year-old Max Dowman.
This has led to speculation that he could be sold or loaned out, but Nwaneri has no desire to move abroad after his loan experience with Marseille earlier this year.
Nwaneri had a bright start at Les Phoceens but eventually became a regular substitute. The departure of manager Roberto De Zerbi in February partly contributed to this.
Hence, the youngster wants to stay with the Gunners this summer unless an attractive offer arrives from another Premier League club before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.
Nwaneri could be loaned out to a Premier League club
The 19-year-old was impressive during the back end of pre-season for the Gunners. He scored a brilliant goal during the 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup.
Despite this, he did not even make the matchday squad for the Community Shield win over Manchester City at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff this month.
Nwaneri made the substitutes’ bench for the Premier League opener against Coventry, but it was largely due to Bruno Guimaraes being absent with an injury.
With Guimaraes poised to return against Aston Villa on Monday, Nwaneri could once again be left out unless manager Mikel Arteta decides to drop Dowman.
As things stand, Dowman is viewed as a more essential player on the bench than Nwaneri. The latter needs regular minutes going forward to develop.
The Times previously reported that Arsenal want as much as £50 million to sell Nwaneri, but the Gunners have since changed their stance towards a loan exit.
AC Milan, Red Bull Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Fulham are among his admirers. Given Nwaneri’s desire to stay in the Premier League, the Cottagers could be the ideal destination.
Nwaneri could be tempted to join Fulham on a season-long loan if he has the assurance of regular game time in either the number 10 or right wing position under manager Alvaro Arbeloa.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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