Marseille are expected to be hit with a financial penalty over Ethan Nwaneri's lack of playing time during his loan from Arsenal. The 19-year-old joined the Ligue 1 side in January on a deal that included a basic fee of around £1.3 million, plus bonuses linked to his appearances.
It is understood the more Nwaneri played, the less Marseille—who also covered his salary—would eventually pay. However, the England Under-21 international managed just 412 minutes from a possible 1,710 across all competitions, and was an unused substitute in five of Marseille's final six league matches.
Nwaneri is now set to return to Arsenal, though his long-term future at the club remains uncertain. Marseille head coach Habib Beye, who replaced Roberto De Zerbi, publicly questioned the teenager's application in training, while Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said this month he hoped Nwaneri would learn from his difficult spell at the Stade Vélodrome.
Meanwhile, Bundesliga side Hamburger SV will not trigger their £19.16 million (€22 million) option to buy Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira. The 25-year-old impressed during his loan, scoring seven Bundesliga goals and providing five assists as Hamburg fought to avoid relegation, including a fine strike in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen.
Vieira, who joined Arsenal from Porto for up to £35.2 million in 2022, is entering the final year of his contract. Arsenal are keen to offload him, and Hamburg would prefer a deal worth under €10 million (£8.7 million), well below the buy-option value agreed on deadline day in September. Arsenal expect interest from elsewhere, with talks over his future planned after the Champions League final.
When asked about his future, Vieira said: "I have to be open to everything. Let's see what happens." He added: "I can't say that yet. No matter what the future brings, I was very happy here and will be forever grateful to the HSV."
