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Mikel Arteta drops Ethan Nwaneri hint as Adrien Rabiot to Arsenal transfer opportunity revealed

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaking to Ethan Nwaneri
-Credit: (Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)


Arsenal reportedly turned down the chance to sign Adrien Rabiot over the weekend before Marseille agreed in principle to sign the free agent.

Rabiot, 29, has been available since leaving Juventus in July, and a host of Premier League teams were reputedly reminded of his availability recently. The former Manchester City player reputedly wanted a return to England this summer, but that will seemingly not materialise.

He arrived in southern France on Monday night before completing a move to the Ligue 1 club despite spending almost a decade at their rivals Paris Saint-Germain after being born in the capital's suburbs. Rabiot made over 200 appearances for PSG across seven seasons, winning Ligue 1 five times before moving to Serie A.

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TBR Football reports that the player's representatives reached out at the end of last week to the Gunners, plus Aston Villa, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, to no avail. Arsenal refusing to table an offer for Rabiot despite Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Oleksandr Zinchenko being out injured reiterates the faith manager Mikel Arteta must have in Ethan Nwaneri.

With those three plus Declan Rice unavailable for their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he had Nwaneri replace Bukayo Saka when the winger could not continue. While substitutes Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling were already on the pitch, Arteta overlooked Jakub Kiwior, who is vastly more experienced and has previously played in defensive midfield for Spezia in Serie A.

Instead, he handed the 17-year-old his third Premier League appearance and first of the season. The cameo came on the back of playing a trio of times for England under-19s, with the midfielder scoring two goals and assisting another.

Nwaneri has now made the matchday squad for all four games. And there are no signs of that changing anytime soon, at least for the next month while Merino remains on the sidelines.