Mikel Arteta unsure on Ethan Nwaneri future, admits ‘certain players have to move’

Mikel Arteta says he wants Ethan Nwaneri at Arsenal, but admits the teenager needs game time, while there is also a general recognition that “certain players” may need to leave this summer.

Nwaneri, 19, has played a large part in Arsenal’s pre-season, featuring as a midfielder in each of their five games and scoring two goals. The academy graduate had a mixed 2025-26 season, playing 12 games for Arsenal before a challenging loan spell at Marseille, in which all three of his Ligue 1 starts came before Roberto De Zerbi departed in February.

Arteta has been complimentary of Nwaneri throughout pre-season, saying “He looks like a different man” after Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Girona in July.

Asked what the plans were for the midfielder this season and whether he wants him to stay at the club, the Arsenal manager said: “I don’t know on the plans, but he certainly opens your eyes in terms of how a young player can evolve in such a short period and what you can get out of a difficult and challenging experience abroad. He’s done it in a brilliant way.

“It’s unquestionable the talent, desire, love and passion he has for the game. It’s something I always loved about Ethan. And then, he’s had some great games and shown everyone he has the ability to be here.

“I want him to be at the club. But in the medium and long-term, what is best for the player? Ethan needs to play football. If he stays here, it will be because we guarantee he can have those minutes. Otherwise, it is something that is not good for anybody.”

While his first team breakthrough came on the right wing, when Bukayo Saka was injured in the 2024-25 season, Nwaneri has almost exclusively been used in central midfield since last summer’s pre-season.

His direct competition is club captain Martin Odegaard, while the additions of Eberechi Eze last August and Bruno Guimaraes may also make those minutes more difficult to come by.

Speaking more generally rather than about Nwaneri specifically, Arteta also recognised the need for Arsenal to do both incoming and outgoing business in the rest of this transfer window.

“It’s always the case,” he said. “If there is an opportunity to go both ways, we will have to see how the market responds and what we can do as a club.

“We have certain (outgoing) possibilities we can explore if the right ones come across. So far with the numbers we have, we are very happy, but we have to accept there are certain players that probably have to move.”

One of those outgoing possibilities is a bid of €45million (£38.4m; $51.8m) from Galatasaray for Gabriel Martinelli. Arsenal have been open to trading the 25-year-old, whose contract expires in 2027 but has an option of a further year.

Meanwhile, with William Saliba out injured for an extended period, Arsenal hold an interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarrell Quansah and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa.

“What I can tell you is that the ambition of the club is big,” Arteta added. “We want to improve and evolve the squad. In order to do that we have detected some areas that can be strengthened and that is what we are trying to do.”

As things stand, Arsenal have signed Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United and Illan Meslier as a free agent after his departure from Leeds United. Tzolis and Guimaraes could start their Community Shield clash with Manchester City on Sunday, August 16, while their late World Cup returnees could also feature.

None of Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi or Bukayo Saka were included in Arteta’s matchday squad for the 1-1 draw against Como in midweek, but ahead of this weekend, he said: “They will be available. They trained with us today and will train tomorrow. If they are in a condition we expect them to be, they will be involved.

“We haven’t noticed anything (abnormal with Rice or Saka). They have individual plans through their time with the national team. They have improved and in the rest period they had, hey both had specific programmes which they’ve been doing. So far, what I’ve seen in the last few days has been really good.”

Saka and Rice are yet to feature for Arsenal during pre-season. (Roberto Schmidt via Getty Images)

Arsenal will still be without Jurrien Timber, however. The Netherlands right-back has been recovering from a groin injury initially suffered in March that kept him out of the World Cup.

“Jurrien is progressing really well,” Arteta said. “He’s on the pitch. We’re ramping up certain actions, especially the volume and the load. He’s on a good trajectory but there are still a few weeks to go.

“I don’t know (if he will be back before the international break). He needs to start training with the group in the next week or so, hopefully, and then see how he progresses from there. It’s been a long-term issue, and we want to make sure every step we take is the right one. He’s such an important player for us.”