Arsenal’s stance on Ethan Nwaneri surely means a sale for £45m star is imminent
Arsenal have made their decision on Ethan Nwaneri.
The Gunners would now prefer to loan Nwaneri out, rather than letting him go permanently.
RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Fulham, and AC Milan are among the clubs showing strong interest.
Arsenal actually blocked Milan’s recent approach as they weren’t convinced about how he would develop under Ruben Amorim.
Loaning him is definitely the right course of action. It keeps Nwaneri under Arsenal’s control, gets him the minutes he needs, and brings him back next summer as a better player, just like they did with Emile Smith Rowe at the same age.
But the fact that they’re now not looking to actively sell Nwaneri could indicate what Arsenal expect to happen elsewhere before the window closes.
Why Arsenal’s decision to loan Ethan Nwaneri points to a Gabriel Martinelli sale
Nwaneri was left out of Mikel Arteta’s squad for the Community Shield match against Manchester City. As were Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.
But according to Jeorge Bird, Nwaneri was named as the ‘extra man’, while the other two were left out entirely.
That is surely a clear indicator of where those players stand in Arteta’s thinking.
Arsenal have already been actively looking to sell Martinelli, despite not even telling the player beforehand.
Galatasaray’s €45m offer was rejected because the player has no interest in Turkey.
But the fact that Arsenal are now willing to keep Nwaneri on the books and loan him out instead, strongly suggests they expect a more suitable offer for Martinelli to arrive before the window closes.
Surely if they are to bring in an attacker, which was the main objective from the start of the summer, they must sell Jesus and at least one of Martinelli or Nwaneri. Not just to make room in the squad, but to fund it too.
That said, if Martinelli is to leave, Arsenal will be putting a lot of faith in Christos Tzolis.
Though the Greek has impressed already, it’s not enough firepower and depth on the left wing. They need more.
With a move for Ezri Konsa closing in, the club’s focus now surely turns to getting these attacking outgoings sorted before pursuing the marquee attacker signing.
