Top News

Former Arsenal Invincible Jeremie Aliadiere has issued a cautionary message to the Gunners following Ethan Nwaneri's loan departure. And it's his suggestion the talented teenager could have played a more significant role in the club's title ambitions had he remained.

Nwaneri has moved to Marseille for the remainder of the campaign, having featured in only six Premier League games during the opening half of the term. The 18-year-old, who will not be joining Marseille permanently, wasted no time making an impact in France, finding the net on his Ligue 1 bow as his new side secured a vital 3-1 victory against Lens.

Aliadiere's own experience at Arsenal bears striking similarities, having arrived at the club aged 16 and initially impressed before opportunities became increasingly scarce. With legendary figures like Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and subsequently Robin van Persie ahead of him in Arsene Wenger's pecking order, the Frenchman understands Nwaneri's predicament all too well.

• How Declan Rice holds key to Arsenal's title dream as Mikel Arteta makes 'unique' claim
• Why furious Piero Hincapie exploded after Arsenal win despite triple Champions League draw boost

"Do you know what? It's a very tough one, because I relate to Ethan so much," he told The Mirror, via betting site Betfree. "Because I've been in that situation myself back in the day when I wanted to play. I thought I was good enough to play, but unfortunately you had an amazing player ahead of me [referring to Henry].

FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

"And as much as Arsene wanted to play me, he just couldn't. I feel Mikel is pretty much in that same kind of situation with Ethan. I would love to play Ethan, and I do believe he's good enough, but unfortunately you've got [Eberechi] Eze, you've got [Bukayo] Saka, you've got [Noni] Madueke, you've got [Martin] Odegaard, you've got all them players that are top, top, top names.

"And I know you should not be judging somebody on the name and the age and everything, but unfortunately football is a bit like that. And when you've got experience and you're an international and you've got caps and so many games in the Premier League, [it works in your favour]."

"And on the other side you're just young players that come through the academy and are super talented and great, it's very difficult for Mikel to find a space for him to play."

Aliadiere's own Arsenal journey spanned from 1999 to 2007, during which time he struggled to cement a regular place in the first team. Despite loan spells at Celtic, West Ham and Wolves, the Frenchman ultimately departed for Middlesbrough permanently, having been part of one of the most iconic squads in Premier League history but falling just short of fulfilling his ambitions.

Many Gunners supporters would have been keen to see more of Nwaneri this season following his impressive 2024/25 campaign, where he netted nine times and provided two assists. However, for Arteta to give the young star more game time, it would mean benching one of the regular starters, a move that could backfire and draw criticism from fans in a season where there's little room for error.

Arteta has said he regrets not being able to offer Nwaneri more opportunities in the first half of the season. However, he's been under pressure to use more senior options due to the title pressures that come with having such a high-quality squad.

Nwaneri's quick impact at Marseille, scoring on his debut just 13 minutes in, might lead some to question whether Arsenal were too hasty in loaning him out. And Aliadiere, 42, hopes the decision won't come back to haunt the club.

He continued: "I hope we won't be regretting it as Arsenal fans by the end of the season thinking, 'Oh my God, if we had kept Ethan we might have gone over the line and ended up doing more and winning more trophies.'"

"But for Ethan I think it's a great move, because I do feel for him, and I think for him he needed to get game time. But get game time in a top, top club, in a top league, top division, still playing in the Champions League."

"And I do feel that he's found that with Marseille, so I'm really pleased for him and I think he's just going to kill the league."

Marseille's Champions League journey sadly concluded on Wednesday, following an injury-time header from Benfica goalkeeper Antoliy Trubin against Real Madrid. Nevertheless, Nwaneri is expected to have ample opportunities to shine under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi.

Arsenal are currently four points ahead at the Premier League summit ahead of Saturday's match against Leeds. Recent slips have seen the Gunners fall within range of Manchester City and Aston Villa, most recently losing at home to Manchester United last weekend.

Arteta's side will be hoping they won't feel the absence of their youngster's potential contributions as they aim to break a streak of three consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League. Arteta will require as much squad depth as possible, with the Gunners presently competing for all four trophies this season.