Chelsea are eyeing Ethan Nwaneri as Arsenal’s transfer situation changes
Chelsea are understood to be aware of a possible move for Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri as his situation at the Emirates Stadium has changed.
The 19-year-old has never been loaned out to Marseille in the window shop, but Arsenal could now be open to letting him go for a reasonable fee this summer, as first reported here by The Daily Briefing.
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Chelsea are one of the clubs that have a long-term interest in Nwaneri, and they could revisit the deal if he ends up leaving Arsenal at the end of this campaign.
At the moment, it is not clear whether Nwaneri himself wants to leave, but there may be concerns about his development after he complained of problems with the coaching situation at Marseille.
What sources say about the transfer of Ethan Nwaneri
Along with Chelsea, sources have named Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, and AC Milan as clubs monitoring Nwaneri’s situation, while at least three other Premier League teams are also monitoring developments.
Meanwhile, Arsenal could be tempted to swoop for Nwaneri for around £35-40m, with the sale counting as ‘pure profit’ in PSR’s view because the England Under-21 international came through the Gunners academy.
“Nwaneri is struggling at the moment and that means Arsenal will have to consider selling,” another source said. “Things can change quickly, but obviously he’s not progressing as expected, and they’ll feel like they can get a fair bit of money for him.
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“Chelsea have tried to sign him before. They are still watching how this happens, as are Dortmund, Juventus, and Milan. Many top clubs in England and Europe see him as a great talent, and he could benefit from a fresh start.”
Could Ethan Nwaneri be a good signing for Chelsea?
Chelsea haven’t had much in the transfer market in recent times, but their policy of recruiting young players has served them well from time to time.
Joao Pedro has been a big target since joining Brighton, while Cole Palmer was in a similar situation at Manchester City to Nwaneri at Arsenal now when he moved to Stamford Bridge.
Using our Transfer Fit rating system, we rate Nwaneri at Chelsea 16/25 – a promising young player in the right condition, who won’t cost a fortune, but isn’t in the best form right now.
| Ethan Nwaneri | OVERALL SCORE: 16/25 |
| Transfer fee | *** |
| Working | ** |
| Achievements | ** |
| Work class | **** |
| A group requirement | ***** |
Arsenal may be wary of selling a top prospect like rival Nwaneri, but at the moment it seems unlikely that he will become a key first-team player for Mikel Arteta’s side.
The two London rivals have also done business many times before, with big names such as Kai Havertz, Jorginho, Noni Madueke, and Kepa Arrizabalaga all moving from Chelsea to Arsenal in the past few years.
