Ethan Nwaneri appears poised for a boost at Marseille as the French club inches closer to naming a new head coach. Roberto De Zerbi’s departure earlier this month was a setback for Arsenal, given his influential role in the decision to loan Nwaneri to Marseille.

Despite a tumultuous few weeks at the Stade Velodrome, which saw sporting director Medhi Benatia exit and then return within 48 hours, Marseille have been swift in identifying their next head coach. According to numerous reports in France, an agreement has been reached for Habib Beye to take over from De Zerbi.

The ex-Newcastle defender, who also represented Marseille during his 15-year playing career, was only dismissed by Rennes last week following a run of four straight losses.

It’s a somewhat daring appointment, given the 48-year-old’s recent managerial track record, but it’s worth noting that he led Rennes to eight victories in nine matches earlier this season.

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In all those matches and his final five games at the helm, Beye favoured a back five or three, suggesting that this could be the formation he employs in his new role. Somewhat unexpectedly, this tactical choice could prove beneficial for Nwaneri.

De Zerbi alternated between formations during his tenure with Nwaneri performing better as one of two No. 10s in a 3-4-2-1 system.

He found the net just 13 minutes into his debut against Lens, with Mason Greenwood as the other attacking midfielder behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

In the Champions League, with Nwaneri unavailable, De Zerbi opted for a back-four system. That was also the formation used for last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Strasbourg, with Nwaneri remaining on the bench.

Given his reduced playing time, De Zerbi’s departure and no European football for the remainder of the season, Nwaneri will likely be delighted to see a manager arrive who can deploy him in the most effective manner possible.

Securing more minutes was a major factor behind Nwaneri moving elsewhere in January but midfield injuries would have likely meant him featuring considerably more over recent weeks.

When questioned if he had any regrets over allowing Nwaneri to leave on loan, Mikel Arteta said: “[Laughs] That’s easy to say. After making the decision, who could have predicted that Mikel [Merino] was going to be out for five months and Kai [Havertz]?

“It’s unfortunate, at the end we have to make the decisions on the moment, understanding the context there, and the best decision for the club, for Ethan, for sure it was for him to go and experience a different environment, have minutes played, and getting ready to come back to us.”