Mikel Arteta believes it was the right decision to let Ethan Nwaneri leave Arsenal

ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta insists it was still the ‘best decision’ for Arsenal to allow Ethan Nwaneri to leave the club for a loan spell at Marseille, after the decision was made to give him minutes in France.

Nwaneri made his breakthrough into the first team last season, but his big spend at the Emirates in the summer saw him drop down the pecking order. He started just four games in all competitions – none of them in the Premier League.

His lack of playing time meant he wanted to leave Arsenal during the January transfer window, and when Marseille came calling, it was an easy decision for the forward to make the move to French football.

Mikel Merino could be out for the rest of the season after undergoing foot surgery this week and Kai Havertz once again sidelined with a muscle problem. Martin Odegaard has also suffered a knock in recent weeks, while Eberechi Eze is woefully out of form.

But despite the challenges Arsenal could face between now and the end of the season, Arteta has claimed it was still the right decision to let Nwaneri leave the club on loan in January: “That’s easy to say,” said Arteta. “After making the decision, who could have predicted that Mikel and Kai would be out for five months?

‘It’s a shame, ultimately we have to make the decisions at the moment and understand the context there.

“The best decision for the club, for Ethan, was definitely for him to experience a different environment, play minutes and get ready to come back to us.”

WAS IT THE RIGHT DECISION BY ARSENAL?

Look, if he stayed at Arsenal in January he would hardly play for the Gunners, he would just be on the bench, but since moving to French football he has played every game for Marseille.

It was the right decision at the time, because ARSENAL There are so many players who can play in so many positions.

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