Arsenal latest: Ethan Nwaneri loan update issued by Mikel Arteta as winger's return 'lined up'

Arsenal face Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on Sunday as the Gunners look to put a disappointing Premier League draw with Brentford behind them

Arsenal will be looking to secure a comfortable victory over Wigan Athletic when they return to FA Cup duty on Sunday. The Gunners managed a 1-1 draw with Brentford in their most recent Premier League fixture.

Mikel Arteta's squad remain in contention across all four competitions this season and will face third-tier opponents in the FA Cup fourth round. Wigan make the journey to north London on Sunday evening.

Arteta is anticipated to make several alterations for what ought to be a routine cup fixture as his side aim to move on from Thursday's draw with the Bees. They maintain a four-point advantage at the Premier League summit ahead of second-placed Manchester City.

Beyond the current squad, Ethan Nwaneri has also experienced a blow during his loan spell at Marseille following manager Roberto De Zerbi's departure. Arteta has now clarified whether he has any reservations about sending the teenager to France as football.london provides you with the latest developments from the Emirates.

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Ethan Nwaneri 'regret' addressed

The highly-rated Nwaneri was sent on loan to Marseille in January to acquire first-team minutes and the move appeared promising initially. He found the net on his debut.

However, Marseille have since parted ways with their manager De Zerbi, whom Arteta indicated was a significant factor in Nwaneri being loaned to the French side. Additionally, injuries to Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz suggest the Gunners might have benefited from retaining some attacking depth.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's meeting with Wigan, Arteta addressed questions about whether he had second thoughts over Nwaneri's loan move. He said: "After making the decision, who could have predicted that Mikel was going to be out for five months and Kai?

"It's unfortunate. At the end we had to make the decision on the moment understanding the context there and the best decision for the club and for Ethan. For sure it was for him to go and experience a different environment, play minutes and get ready to come back to us.

"I cannot control [De Zerbi leaving]. Again it's a decision and that's part of playing on loan. That's part of a journey of a football player. So you're going to have to work with different coaches and that can happen any moment, you cannot control that, you cannot avoid that.

"Yes, one of the reasons [we sent him there] for sure it was Roberto, but also it was Marseille and what Marseille as a club and as an environment brings to Ethan. I think that's going to be still very positive."

Winger linked with Premier League return

Regarding potential attacking additions, reports emerging from Italy indicate Arsenal are exploring the possibility of bringing former Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic back to English football.

The United States international initially moved to England in 2019 and featured in Chelsea's triumphant 2020/21 Champions League campaign before departing Stamford Bridge in 2023 for AC Milan.

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However, with his current contract set to expire in 2027, Tuttomercatoweb report that negotiations over fresh terms have stalled. The outlet also claims that both the Gunners and Liverpool are monitoring the 27-year-old's circumstances and are preparing a potential move in the summer.

Pulisic netted 26 times in 145 outings for Chelsea and in addition to his Champions League triumph he also lifted the 2021 Club World Cup and Super Cup trophies.