Arsenal news: Ethan Nwaneri humiliation explained as private Mikel Arteta chat emerges
Arsenal continued their fine form in the Premier League this weekend by beating Sunderland 3-0. However, young loanee Ethan Nwaneri is enjoying mixed fortunes in French Ligue 1.
Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri has endured a difficult spell on loan at Marseille so far(Image: Franco Arland/Getty Images)
Arsenal maintained their lead in the Premier League title race with a clinical 3-0 victory over Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Despite missing key creative outlets Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard, the Gunners dominated possession from the start.
The breakthrough came in the 42nd minute when summer signing Martin Zubimendi showed his technical quality, meeting a Leandro Trossard pullback with a crisp outside-the-boot strike that clipped the inside of the post before nestling into the net.
Sunderland showed resilience early in the second half, forcing David Raya into a smart save from Chemsdine Talbi, but the introduction of Viktor Gyökeres effectively ended the game. The Swedish striker doubled the lead in the 66th minute, improvising a low strike at the near post just six minutes after coming off the bench.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook page
Gyökeres then added a third in injury time, striking from close range following an unselfish square pass from Gabriel Martinelli on the counter-attack. Following Manchester City’s victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side remain six points clear in the Premier League table as they look to finally finish top of the table after three consecutive second places.
With each match only growing in importance, the pressure is now on with the Gunners facing Brentford on Thursday evening. Here, Mirror football takes a look at some of Arsenal’s biggest headlines
LEARN MORE: Wayne Rooney sends blunt warning to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta – ‘Of course’LEARN MORE: Arsenal could play Man City FIVE times in a month due to unusual match quirk
The Nwaneri Marseille decision explained
While Arteta’s side have set the Premier League on fire so far, the decision was made in the January transfer window to send youngster Ethan Nwaneri on loan to Ligue 1 side Marseille to gain first-team experience after a limited number of first-team opportunities earlier in the season. However, the 18-year-old had a tough time after an initially promising start in France, as his side were beaten by title favorites PSG on Sunday.
The Olympians were trailing a humble 5-0 lead, with Nwaneri suffering the humiliation of being substituted at half-time for the second game in a row. Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi, formerly of Brighton, explained the decision to withdraw him after the match, explaining the need to “protect” the striker following his move to the club.
“As for Nwaneri, he didn’t have a good evening.” » said De Zerbi. “He didn’t get a lot of support from his teammates. He needed to be protected, like all young players.”
Arteta private chat emerges
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed what he told Viktor Gyokeres when he informed the Sweden international he would not start in this weekend’s clash against Sunderland. While the Spaniard opted to bring on Gabriel Jesus from the start, Gyokeres was introduced in the second half, replacing Jesus in the 60th minute before scoring two goals.
And after the match, Arteta revealed he had already predicted the £63.5million summer signing would make an impact. Arteta told Viaplay Fotball: “He’s on a really good run at the moment. When he saw the line-up and he wasn’t there, his reaction was immediately… ready! I told him: ‘You’re going to come in and you can have a huge impact!’
Former Premier League striker turned Viaplay pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft then asked Arteta if he had told Gyokeres exactly how many minutes he was going to get. The Spaniard replied: “Not the exact minutes because I don’t know.
“But the fact that he was going to play a big role and we’re going to need him to win the game.”
Discounted Premier League and EFL package on Sky Sports
£49
£35
Sky
Get the deal here
Sky has lowered the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, an increase of up to 100 more.