On deadline day, Arsenal allowed Ethan Nwaneri to join Borussia Dortmund on a season-long loan deal, without a purchase option.
The 19-year-old graduated from the north London club’s academy and made his first team debut in 2022. He played 51 matches for Arsenal, managing 10 goals and two assists.
Last season, the attacking midfielder lost prominence under Mikel Arteta and joined Marseille on loan in January. He returned to the Emirates in the summer.
Last month, we relayed news of RB Leipzig and AC Milan interest, and in the end, the player moved to the Signal Iduna Park.
How Dortmund convinced Arsenal
Sky Deutschland provides an insight into why and how Borussia Dortmund secured a deal with Mikel Arteta’s side.
Last weekend, BVB summer signing Giannis Konstantelias suffered a cruciate ligament injury in their 2-0 win over Hamburg SV.
The Greece international’s serious setback forced the Bundesliga side to take action in the last days of the window. They bet on Ethan Nwaneri and agreed to a loan with the Premier League winners.
As part of the agreement, Arsenal have secured an option to recall the youngster in January.
Sky states: ‘This point was non-negotiable for the London club, especially given their own limited attacking options.’
Details of Arsenal recall clause
Borussia Dortmund accepted it because of the limited time and the urgent need to sign an attacker after Giannis Konstantelias’ serious setback.
Niko Kovač’s side ‘would incur no costs for the loan’ if the Emirates club were to cut short Ethan Nwaneri’s stay in January. It’s unclear whether the cost is related only to a loan fee or both the fee and salary paid by BVB.
Beside this, the English champions ‘must inform Dortmund in a timely manner’, without a mention of the timeframe. An advance notice will give them sufficient time to look for the Arsenal man’s replacement in the winter market.
Zagłębie Lubin’s Marcel Reguła was an alternative to Nwaneri in the summer. He’s still on their agenda and Sky states Dortmund can sign him if the England U21 international were to return to the Emirates in January.
