'Arsenal boss wanted to play me but I had to leave – now another star is going to do same'

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Arsenal Invincible Jeremie Aliadiere has sent a warning to his former club after Ethan Nwaneri was allowed to leave on loan this month . And the Frenchman is wary the versatile winger could have had more sway on this season's Premier League title charge.

Nwaneri, 18, has joined Marseille until the end of the season after making just six appearances in England's top flight in the first half of the campaign. He made headlines in his Ligue 1 debut after scoring in a crucial 3-1 win over Lens , immediately demonstrating the potential that hasn't been allowed to flourish in north London as he might have hoped this season.

Aliadiere was in a very similar position at Arsenal , joining the club at 16 and impressing early on before he came to struggle for opportunities. And with the likes of Thierry Henry , Dennis Bergkamp and later Robin van Persie blocking his route into Arsene Wenger's squad, he sympathises with Nwaneri's difficult position.

"Do you know what? It's a very tough one, because I relate to Ethan so much," he told Mirror Football , via Casino.co.uk . "Because I've been in that situation myself back in the day when I wanted to play. I thought I was good enough to play, but unfortunately you had an amazing player ahead of me [referring to Henry].

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"And as much as Arsene wanted to play me, he just couldn't. I feel Mikel is pretty much in that same kind of situation with Ethan. I would love to play Ethan, and I do believe he's good enough, but unfortunately you've got [Eberechi] Eze, you've got [Bukayo] Saka, you've got [Noni] Madueke, you've got [Martin] Odegaard, you've got all them players that are top, top, top names.

"And I know you should not be judging somebody on the name and the age and everything, but unfortunately football is a bit like that. And when you've got experience and you're an international and you've got caps and so many games in the Premier League, [it works in your favour].

"And on the other side you're just young players that come through the academy and are super talented and great, it's very difficult for Mikel to find a space for him to play."

Aliadiere remained on Arsenal's books from 1999 until 2007 when he joined Middlesbrough on permanent terms after several loan moves away. He spent temporary stints with Celtic, West Ham and Wolves but was eventually forced to give up on his Gunners dream despite playing a role in one of the most memorable squads in Premier League history.

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Many Arsenal fans will have wanted to see more of Nwaneri this term following a breakthrough 2024/25 season, where he scored nine goals and recorded two assists, But in order to play the teenager, that means Arteta dropping one of the aforementioned starters, which would draw its own ire from fans if the decision didn't pay off in a season where few mistakes can be made.

It's worth noting Arteta has underlined his own regret at not being able to offer Nwaneri more chances this term. However, the demands of the campaign have simply meant more senior options have taken precedence.

Given it took Nwaneri just 13 minutes to score for Marseille on his debut, there's a temptation to believe Arsenal have acted hastily in sending him out on loan. And after numerous late collapses in their search for a first title since Aliadiere was part of the iconic 2003/04 squad, he hopes the club don't come to regret the transfer.

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"I hope we won't be regretting it as Arsenal fans by the end of the season thinking, 'Oh my God, if we had kept Ethan we might have gone over the line and ended up doing more and winning more trophies,'" he added.

" But for Ethan I think it's a great move, because I do feel for him, and I think for him he needed to get game time. But get game time in a top, top club, in a top league, top division, still playing in the Champions League.

" And I do feel that he's found that with Marseille, so I'm really pleased for him and I think he's just going to kill the league."

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Marseille's Champions League campaign unfortunately came to an end on Wednesday after Benfica goalkeeper Antoliy Trubin's injury-time header against Real Madrid . However, Nwaneri is likely to still see plenty of chances to impress under Roberto De Zerbi.