Dortmund have agreed a loan deal for Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri before the deadline.
Arsenal FC
Arsenal FC
Full name: Arsenal Football Club Nickname: The Gunners Founded: October 1886 Stadium: Emirates Stadium Owner: Kroenke Sports and Entertainment Co-chairmen: Stan Kroenke, Josh Kroenke Manager: Mikel Arteta League: Premier League Season 2025/26: Champions Website: arsenal.com Arsenal football club is one… Read More about ARSENAL
Deadline day at Arsenal has delivered its biggest piece of news yet, as Borussia Dortmund have agreed a season-long transfer loan for young forward Ethan Nwaneri. The move takes him away from Emirates Stadium just as the summer window winds down.
Ethan Nwaneri joins Dortmund on loan
Dortmund moved fast for the forward after a bad injury blow. New signing Giannis Konstantelias suffered an ACL injury on his debut in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Hamburg. As reported by BBC, Dortmund had also tried to sign Nwaneri last summer, but Arsenal said no to that offer back then, since he was seen as a future first-team option. This time, according to Fabrizio Romano, the two clubs reached a verbal agreement after Nwaneri accepted the move overnight. He is due to travel to Germany for a medical before completing the switch, which comes with no option to buy.
Ethan Nwaneri has made 51 appearances for Arsenal since his 2022 debut. A solid record for a player still only nineteen years old. Dortmund have agreed to cover his wages in full for the season. The young player will now test himself in a strong and demanding league under Dortmund boss Niko Kovac. Four years on from becoming the youngest player ever to appear in a Premier League match, at 15 years, five months and 28 days old.
Nwaneri’s stats for the 2025-26 season at Arsenal, as per FOTMOB:
Competition Appearances Goals Assists
Premier League 6 0 0
UCL 3 0 0
FA Cup 1 0 0
EFL Cup 2 1 0
Nwaneri’s stats for the 2025-26 season at Marseille, as per FOTMOB:
Competition Appearances Goals Assists
Ligue 1 9 2 1
Coupe de France 2 0 0
Arsenal’s move behind the loan
Arsenal never wanted to sell Nwaneri for good. As reported by BBC, this summer that the club would prioritise loan offers for him, having handed him a new five-year contract only last summer. Mikel Arteta said in August that he wanted Nwaneri to stay, while admitting the forward “needs to play football.”
Ethan Nwaneri had not made a single first-team appearance for Arsenal this season. He was an unused substitute in the opening-day win over Coventry. He was then left out of the squad entirely for the trip to Aston Villa. A loan move gives him a real chance to grow through regular football. He already experienced that last season during a spell at Marseille. He made nine appearances and scored two goals during his time there.
Other clubs also noticed his talent this summer. Dortmund moved fastest to secure his signature. If Nwaneri impresses in Germany, he could return to Arsenal next summer. He would then have more experience and confidence to push for a regular place under Arteta.
Arsenal FC
Arsenal FC
Vieira departure completes a busy window
While Nwaneri heads to Germany, another Arsenal player has left the club for good. Fabio Vieira has joined Hamburg on a permanent deal. He returns to the Volksparkstadion after a productive loan spell there last season. Vieira scored seven goals and provided five assists in 31 appearances. Arsenal signed the midfielder from Porto in 2022 for a fee close to £34 million.
However, he made just 49 appearances during his four years with Arsenal. The last two seasons were spent out on loan, first at Porto and then at Hamburg. The permanent deal is reported at around £8 million, with figures ranging from roughly £7.7 million to £8.6 million. Vieira’s departure ends four years that never justified his transfer fee. Nwaneri leaves for Dortmund with Arsenal’s long-term faith in him still intact.
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