French football newspaper L'Equipe is reporting a "persistent impression of nonchalance" surrounding the 18-year-old.
Nwaneri joined Marseille in January, attracted by the prospect of working under Roberto De Zerbi after falling behind Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze in Arsenal's attacking hierarchy. He scored on his debut, but De Zerbi was sacked shortly afterwards in chaotic circumstances, leaving Nwaneri without the manager who had wanted him.
His last start came on 8 February, the 5-0 thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain that proved De Zerbi's final match in charge. Under replacement Habib Beye, Nwaneri has not once been selected from the off in eight subsequent squads. The clearest signal of his standing came when Marseille faced Monaco without first-choice winger Mason Greenwood — Beye chose to start Hamad Junior Traoré over the Arsenal loanee regardless.
Adding an unusual dimension to the situation, L'Equipe has revealed that Nwaneri's loan fee contains a clause inversely tied to his playing time — meaning the less he plays, the more Marseille are obliged to pay Arsenal. That financial incentive has not changed Beye's thinking.
There is also a reported history between the two. Beye was previously managing Stade Rennais, and Nwaneri made a poor challenge on Rennais midfielder Glen Kamara when the two sides met in the Coupe de France earlier in the season.
Nwaneri is contracted to Arsenal until 2030 having signed an extension last summer. He broke into Mikel Arteta's first team during the 2024-25 season but found game time harder to come by at the start of this campaign before the loan was arranged.