Roberto De Zerbi has claimed that Ethan Nwaneri could make his Marseille debut tomorrow, although the deal is yet to be officially confirmed.
Photo via Fabrizio Romano on Twitter
Olympique de Marseille hope to have two new signings in their squad for this weekend’s match against Ligue 1 leaders Lens, with Quinten Timber (twin brother of Arsenal’s Jurrien) joining on a permanent basis and Ethan Nwaneri signing on loan from Arsenal.
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Before any of the deals were announced, Roberto De Zerbi spoke to the media and confirmed that the two could come together in time to debut on Saturday.
“I’m absolutely delighted they’ve signed for OM – they could even play on Saturday,” said De Zerbi. “They are two quality players, with experience for Timber and talent for Nwaneri.”
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Quinten Timber’s transfer to Marseille has already been officially confirmed by the club, so it is presumably only a matter of time until Nwaneri’s deal is also announced.
Ryan Taylor reports for Football.London that Marseille will pay a guaranteed fee of €1.5 million for Nwaneri’s loan, but the fee could be as high as €4 million.
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That will depend on the 18-year-old’s overall appearance. If he plays a lot, the fee will be lower, but if he is never selected, the fee could reach that maximum of €4 million.
Arsenal did the same with Fabio Vieira’s loan to FC Porto last season and it seemed to work well as an incentive, with the 25-year-old playing 42 times.
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Nwaneri arrived in Marseille earlier this week and spoke briefly to the media to explain his transfer, saying: “(Marseille) is one of the best clubs in the world, with a great fan base.
“William Saliba told me that it is one of the best clubs in the world (…) Roberto De Zerbi is one of the best coaches in the world.”