His last loan spell ended in a fiasco! Arsenal's record talent faces the acid test at Borussia Dortmund

With the loan signing of Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri, Borussia Dortmund are responding to the Konstantelias shock. The 19-year-old left-footer most recently endured a difficult half-season in Marseille. What can Nwaneri give BVB?

Did Ethan Nwaneri make one last late check on how secure Niko Kovac is in his job? You couldn't rule it out. Arsenal's new loan signing has had a rough ride with managerial changes of late. At Borussia Dortmund, where the 19-year-old attacking player has joined from Arsenal on a one-season loan without an option to buy, he can be sure of one thing: Kovac will stay at BVB and is likely to extend his contract early later this year.

Borussia have moved late in response to the serious knee injury suffered by new signing Giannias Konstantelias. They have reacted well. Nwaneri is one of England's most promising talents and has huge potential, while the one-year loan also means BVB are not blocking the return of the Greek, who will be out for months.

Nwaneri, who played for England from U16 to U21 level and scored 27 goals in 58 internationals, spent the second half of last season at Olympique Marseille. Before that, he had made only 12 competitive appearances for the Gunners, a third of them from the start.

Why did Arsenal loan Ethan Nwaneri to Olympique Marseille?

That was also because Arsenal started using the youngster more centrally from summer 2025 onwards, as a kind of No 10. But competition from Martin Ödegaard and the expensively signed Eberechi Eze proved too strong there.

Arsenal sent Nwaneri to OM because Roberto De Zerbi was working there, "an incredible promoter of young talents and a really brave coach", as coach Mikel Arteta said. "I think that suits the style of play and the qualities we want for Ethan. You have to throw him in there, into the lion's den, into an incredible football culture, atmosphere and a great club - that will make him so good. It will be a great experience for him."

Instead, the Spaniard got it wrong and the loan turned into a fiasco for Nwaneri. In Marseille, where they traditionally swing between boundless euphoria and wild chaos, it was the latter again. After lengthy disputes, De Zerbi quit in February, 20 days after Nwaneri's arrival.

Criticism of Ethan Nwaneri: "Other players have given much more"

By that point, he had already made four appearances under the Italian, with Nwaneri in the starting line-up in every one of them. Better still, he needed only 13 minutes on his debut to make it 2-0 against league leaders Lens (3-1). "Ethan will become a top player, I'm sure of that," De Zerbi said shortly before his dismissal.

Then things went downhill for Nwaneri. After his 215 minutes under De Zerbi, he got only 197 minutes in the remaining period under new coach Habib Beye, spread across seven matches. The 48-year-old even publicly criticised Nwaneri's lack of commitment at one stage and said: "He is a good player, but he has to give us much more in his daily commitment. Other players have given much more. He first has to get used to the intensity of Ligue 1 and be aware that he has come to a club at a very, very high level."

Even with a long injury list, Beye did not let the loan signing start a single game. In a way, that hurt his club, because according to L'Equipe Nwaneri's contract contained a clause under which Marseille had to pay less in loan fees to Arsenal the more he played. Given his role as a reserve, the sports daily also wrote of a "persistent impression of indifference" in Nwaneri's case.

Ethan Nwaneri is the youngest player used in Premier League history

Still, the sobering spell in the south of France pushed Nwaneri forward in Arteta's eyes. After his return, the coach repeatedly praised him. In July, he said: "It definitely opens your eyes to how a young player can develop in such a short time and what you can take from a difficult and challenging experience abroad. He has done that brilliantly. He seems like a completely different person."

Arteta then gave Nwaneri minutes in all five pre-season matches, in which he scored two goals, including one in the 3-2 defeat to BVB. The long-serving Gunners coach had shown his faith in him early. In September 2022, he gave the London-born son of Nigerian parents his first Premier League appearance. Nwaneri remains the youngest player ever to appear in the top English division, at 15 years and 181 days. In doing so, he overtook Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal.

Nwaneri, who joined Arsenal at the age of eight and was already playing for the U18s at 14, had his best spell with the first team in the 2024/25 season. Especially as a replacement for Bukayo Saka, who was injured for more than three months, he produced good performances and recorded nine goals and two assists in 37 competitive appearances. Speaking of Saka: in February 2025, Nwaneri became the youngest player since records began (2003/04) in a 2-0 win against Leicester to complete five or more dribbles and provide an assist in a Premier League match, taking that record away from Saka.

BVB loan signing Ethan Nwaneri: these are his strengths and weaknesses

Nwaneri did not kick on from there, though. Only recently, Arteta was unsure whether Nwaneri's immediate future really lies at Arsenal. "I want him to stay at the club. But what is best for the player in the medium and long term? Ethan has to play football. If he stays here, then only because we can guarantee him that playing time. Otherwise, that is good for nobody," he said.

With no coaching change and Konstantelias injured, Nwaneri should get plenty of chances for minutes in Dortmund. He is more similar to Konstantelias than provider Konstantinos Karetsas. His dribbling and precise shooting are among his biggest strengths.

As a player type, Nwaneri is a hybrid: a left-footed attacking all-rounder between the No 10 position, the right half-space and an inverted wide role. He has an excellent feel for space and also looks press-resistant under pressure. Thanks to his close control, quick changes of direction and clever body feints, he can get out of tight situations in matches. He does not hug the touchline in the classic sense, but uses his mobility to cut inside from the half-space.

After the Konstantelias shock: what can Ethan Nwaneri give BVB?

Tactically, Nwaneri stands out for his sense of where the next open space will appear and how to attack it dynamically. His flexible positioning makes him hard to pin down in attack. He prefers to move inside from the right to launch attacks or create a threat himself. His balance between creating and taking his own shots from the half-space is also good.

Nwaneri still needs to improve the use of his slightly weaker foot. He tends to neglect his right foot a little in dribbling and passing and does not use it often enough. At Arsenal, he also had repeated longer phases in matches when he was not heavily involved in proceedings.

Kovac's football, with the premise of "defence first", has similarities to Arsenal's approach under Arteta. The move to Dortmund therefore means not only more playing time for Nwaneri, but also more responsibility on the pitch and in defence. The space and counter-attacking opportunities in the Bundesliga should also suit him well and help him make more of an impression than he did in Marseille.

In theory, Nwaneri has all the attributes to provide what Borussia have been missing since the Konstantelias shock: dynamism, unpredictability, depth, courage to take risks. To do that, though, he must quickly find his rhythm. In Marseille he paid his dues. Now Dortmund is meant to be Nwaneri's test of maturity. The conditions are there: a coach who believes in him and a system that demands his strengths.

Ethan Nwaneri: his professional career at a glance