Ethan Nwaneri has come in for some scrutiny from his Marseille coach Habib Beye who has questioned the Arsenal loanee’s commitment
Marseille head coach Habib Beye has made his thoughts on Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri very clear after the 18-year-old was an unused substitute once again during OM’s draw with Nice. Financially, the decision not to use Nwaneri is more costly for the French side, with the loan fee agreed to lessen the more the youngster plays, and therefore his absence in games will incur a larger fee come the end of the season.
This then puts even greater emphasis on Beye’s decision not to use the player, even when his side needs a goal and Mason Greenwood was not fit enough to start the game. This was the fourth time this season Nwaneri failed to come off the bench during the Ligue 1 match.
He has amassed just over 300 minutes of football in nine appearances in the French top flight, starting just five games. He has two goals and a single assist so far.
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Many Arsenal supporters are still critical of the decision to allow Nwaneri to leave on loan, especially with both Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard having dealt with fitness problems and Mikel Merino missing the entire second half of the season after needing surgery on his foot.
Beye, however, speaking to L1+, gave quite the damning explanation behind Nwaneri’s lack of minutes, mking it obvious that he feels that, compared to other members of the squad, the Hale End graduate is not giving as much outside of matchdays.
“He’s a quality player,” he said. “But he has to give us way more in his day-to-day commitment. Other players gave way more.”
Speaking in February, Arteta was asked whether he regretted sending Nwaneri out on loan after a spate of injuries, in addition to Roberto De Zerbi’s exit from Marseille, which he had initially cited as one of the key reasons the youngster was sent there. He explained that minutes were clearly a big factor in the decision.
“The best decision for the club, for Ethan, was for him to go and experience a different environment,” he said. “Have minutes played, and get ready to come back to us.”
However, it increasingly appears minutes are not being secured to the level hoped, and what this means for the player’s future will be a hot topic for the future. As will the new question marks over Nwaneri’s application outside of matchdays, following these comments.
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