Ethan Nwaneri escaped a red card at Marseille with referees allegedly admitting their error, while James Wilson joined Tottenham despite Arsenal interest as boss says he made wrong choice
Arsenal bounced back from their Premier League defeat to Manchester United with a great run to seize the advantage in their hunt for silverware.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners defeated Kairat to complete a flawless league phase in the Champions League before comfortably dispatching Leeds in the Premier League and securing their place in the Carabao Cup final with a victory over Chelsea. The results were secured without Mikel Merino, who now confronts a spell on the treatment table with a fractured foot. Nevertheless, the Gunners resisted the urge to delve too deeply into their transfer funds.
Only two fresh faces arrived on deadline day and both were teenagers. Young defender Jaden Dixon signed from Stoke City while striker Evan Mooney has travelled south of the border after helping St Mirren claim the Scottish League Cup. Two youngsters who won’t turn out for Arsenal in the campaign’s second half are Ethan Nwaneri – who continues on loan at Marseille despite tentative speculation of a recall following Merino’s setback – and James Wilson, who departed Hearts for Tottenham despite attention from the red side of North London. Here’s the latest news from the Emirates.
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Nwaneri red card bombshell dropped
Ethan Nwaneri made a splash with a debut goal for Marseille against Lens, but his midweek performance became newsworthy for different reasons, reports the Mirror.
The 18-year-old was given his first home start against Rennes in the Coupe de France, but was deemed fortunate to avoid a red card for a foul midway through the first half.
Nwaneri received a yellow card for a foul on Rennes’ Glen Kamara, who needed medical attention and was eventually replaced before the interval. However, visiting manager Habib Beye claimed the officials admitted they erred by not dismissing the young player.
“The match was altered by our early mistake and by that of the refereeing trio who had the honesty to admit it,” Beye stated. There was no VAR available at the match, so the referee’s on-field decision to issue a yellow card had to stand.
Nwaneri was substituted at half-time as manager Roberto De Zerbi chose not to risk him receiving a second yellow card. Marseille triumphed 3-0, with goals from Amine Gouiri, Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang propelling De Zerbi’s squad into the quarter-finals.
James Wilson’s move
Hearts boss Derek McInnes thinks James Wilson should have remained at Tynecastle instead of making a last-minute transfer south of the border.
Wilson was rumoured to be joining Arsenal, but instead signed a loan deal with their rivals Tottenham until the season’s end. Wilson, 18, netted his maiden Scottish Premiership goals last season and earned his senior international bow in March 2025.
The teenager has seen limited action this campaign, however, and McInnes confessed he battled unsuccessfully to persuade him to remain with the table-toppers.
“His head was turned with the Tottenham thing,” McInnes said. “First of all it was Arsenal, then Arsenal went quiet and then all of a sudden Tottenham came to the table on [Monday] afternoon.
“I don’t think it’s the right move for him. Ultimately, it’s academy football and I think he’s better than that. But it was something James wanted to do.
“So like I say, we made it clear that our preference was for him to stay and be part of something here. But he made the decision and I hope it goes well for him because he’s a great kid and we’ll see how it plays out.”