Did Ethan Nwaneri discover at short notice just how secure Niko Kovac is back in the saddle? You can't rule it out, especially as Arsenal's new loan signing has just come through a miserable experience with a coaching change. At Borussia Dortmund, where the 19-year-old attacking player arrives from Arsenal on a season-long loan with no option to buy, he can be sure of one thing: Kovac will stay at BVB and will probably extend his contract early this year.
Borussia have moved late in response to the serious knee injury suffered by new signing Giannias Konstantelias. It makes sense too: Nwaneri is one of England's most promising talents and has huge potential, while the one-year loan means BVB are not blocking the Greek's return once he comes back from an absence that will last months.
Nwaneri played for England from U16 to U21 level and scored 27 goals in 58 internationals. He spent the second half of last season at Olympique Marseille. Before that, he had made only 12 competitive appearances for the Gunners, with a third of them coming as a starter.
Getty ImagesWhy did Arsenal loan Ethan Nwaneri to Olympique Marseille?
That was also because Arsenal had used the youngster more centrally from summer 2025 onwards, almost as a No 10. But the competition there, with Martin Ödegaard and big-money signing Eberechi Eze, proved too strong.
Arsenal let Nwaneri join OM because Roberto De Zerbi was in charge 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."
Arteta got that one wrong, and the loan became a fiasco for Nwaneri. In Marseille, where the mood traditionally swings between boundless euphoria and wild chaos, it was chaos again. After lengthy disputes, De Zerbi quit in February, just 20 days after Nwaneri's arrival.
IMAGOCriticism of Ethan Nwaneri: "Other players gave far more"
By that point, he had already played four matches under the Italian, and Nwaneri started 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 am sure of that," De Zerbi said shortly before his dismissal.
Then it turned for Nwaneri. After 215 minutes under De Zerbi, he got only 197 minutes across the rest of the spell under new coach Habib Beye, spread over seven matches. The 48-year-old even publicly questioned Nwaneri's commitment at times and said: "He is a good player, but he has to give us much more in terms of daily commitment. Other players gave far 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 lengthy injury list, Beye did not start the loanee once. In one sense that hurt his club, because according to L'Equipe Nwaneri's contract contained a clause under which Marseille had to pay less of the loan fee to Arsenal the more he played. At the same time, given his bit-part role, the sports daily wrote of a "continuing impression of indifference" from Nwaneri.
Getty ImagesEthan Nwaneri is the youngest player used in Premier League history
Still, the sobering spell in southern France did push Nwaneri forward in Arteta's eyes. After his return, the coach repeatedly spoke warmly about 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 eventually used Nwaneri in all five pre-season matches, and he scored twice, including one in the 3-2 defeat to BVB. The long-serving Gunners coach had made it clear early on how highly he rated him. In September 2022, he handed the London-born son of Nigerian parents his first Premier League appearance. Nwaneri remains the youngest player ever to feature in the top English division, at 15 years and 181 days. In doing so, he overtook Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal.
Nwaneri joined Arsenal at the age of eight and was already playing for the U18s at 14. His best spell with the first team came in the 2024/25 season. Particularly as a replacement for Bukayo Saka, who was injured for more than three months, he turned in strong performances and posted nine goals and two assists in 37 competitive appearances. As for Saka, in February 2025, during a 2-0 win against Leicester, Nwaneri became the youngest player since records began (2003/04) to complete five or more dribbles and register an assist in a Premier League match, taking that record from Saka.
Getty ImagesBVB loan signing Ethan Nwaneri: these are his strengths and weaknesses
Even so, Nwaneri did not build on it. Only recently, Arteta was unsure whether Nwaneri's immediate future really lay 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 supplier Konstantinos Karetsas. His dribbling and precise finishing rank among his biggest strengths.
In terms of profile, Nwaneri is a hybrid: a left-footed all-round attacking player who operates between the No 10 role, the right half-space and an inverted wide position. He reads space brilliantly and also looks quite press-resistant under pressure. With his close control, sharp changes of direction and clever body feints, he can escape tight situations. Rather than hugging the touchline in the classic sense, he uses his mobility to drift inside from the half-space.
Getty ImagesAfter the Konstantelias shock: what can Ethan Nwaneri give BVB?
Tactically, Nwaneri stands out for his sense of where the next free space will open up and how to attack it dynamically. His flexible positioning makes him difficult to pin down in attack. He likes to cut in from the right to launch moves or create a threat himself. His balance between creating and finishing from the half-space is strong as well.
There is still room to improve in the use of his slightly weaker foot. He tends to neglect his right foot a little in dribbling and passing, and he does not use it often enough. At Arsenal, he also had repeated spells in matches when he was not heavily involved.
Kovac's football, built on the premise of "defence first", has similarities with Arsenal's approach under Arteta. The move to Dortmund should therefore bring Nwaneri not only more playing time, but also more responsibility on the pitch and in defensive work. The space and counter-attacking opportunities in the Bundesliga should suit him too and give him a better platform to make an impression than he had in Marseille.
On paper, Nwaneri has everything Borussia lack after the Konstantelias shock: dynamism, unpredictability, depth and the courage to take risks. To deliver that, though, he must find his rhythm quickly. In Marseille he paid his dues. Dortmund is now 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
Period | Club | Games | Goals | Assists |
since 2022 | Arsenal | 51 | 10 | 2 |
2026 | Olympique Marseille (loan) | 11 | 2 | 1 |