Nwaneri’s Transition to Marseille: A New Chapter in His Career

The Gunners made substantial investments in their first-team squad last summer, acquiring English talents Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze from Chelsea and Crystal Palace, respectively. This influx of talent has unfortunately limited Nwaneri’s playing time for the Premier League leaders, with appearances becoming scarce for the young forward.

This situation contrasts sharply with Nwaneri’s breakout campaign in the 2024-25 season, where he featured in 26 league matches for Mikel Arteta’s squad, starting 11 of those games. In stark comparison, the 18-year-old, who signed a new contract with the Gunners last year, has managed only 166 minutes of Premier League play across six substitute appearances, the latest being in Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Tottenham last November.

Nwaneri made his fourth start of the current season in a recent 4-1 FA Cup third-round win against Portsmouth. He is looking forward to securing a more significant role with title-challenging Marseille in the upcoming months. Despite interest from various Premier League clubs and teams across Europe, he chose to transfer to the Velodrome.

Nwaneri revealed that his decision to join Marseille was influenced by centre-back William Saliba, who emphasized that OM is one of the premier clubs globally. Saliba himself joined Arsenal in 2019 and initially returned to Saint-Etienne for further development before spending various loan spells, ultimately establishing himself at Marseille, where he made 36 league appearances and gained recognition as one of Europe’s top young defenders.

Since returning to the Emirates in 2022, Saliba has become a key player for Arsenal, starting 118 of 136 league games since joining the first team for the 2022-23 season. Nwaneri aspires for a similar trajectory in gaining first-team opportunities in the coming season, sharing, “William Saliba told me OM is one of the best clubs in the world.”

As Nwaneri looks to maximize his potential under Roberto De Zerbi, who has been at the helm of Marseille since 2024 and led the team to a second-place finish in his debut season, the midfielder holds high hopes. However, Marseille currently trails in the title race, sitting eight points behind surprising leaders Lens and seven points adrift of defending champions PSG after 18 games.

Despite the team’s lackluster performance so far, Nwaneri expressed admiration for De Zerbi, stating, “Roberto De Zerbi is also one of the best coaches in the world.”

Following a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League, where Dominik Szoboszlai, a Geronimo Rulli own goal, and a late strike from Cody Gakpo sealed a grim night for Nwaneri’s new side, Marseille aims to bounce back quickly. Currently, they sit on nine points in the Champions League playoff spots but are only one point ahead of Napoli and FC Copenhagen.

Marseille faces a challenging week ahead, preparing for a crucial top-of-the-table clash against Lens, followed by a trip to Club Brugge for their final Champions League group match. Brugge recently secured their second European win of the season against Kairat Almaty and are just one point shy of the playoff spots, adding pressure to Marseille’s upcoming fixtures.