Ethan Nwaneri sends fans a message after Borussia Dortmund loan move
Ethan Nwaneri will want to make his mark straight away at Borussia Dortmund.
Via the German club’s official TikTok, the 19-year-old addressed Dortmund fans directly for the first time since completing his season-long loan move from Arsenal on deadline day.
“Hey BVB fans, I’m so happy to be here,” Nwaneri said. “I’m so glad that I’m gonna play in front of you guys.
“I’m so excited to finally meet all of you and feel your energy and give you what you want and fight for you.
“And best of luck to the team tonight, I hope they do well and get a great result.”
Dortmund won 5-0 against HEBC Hamburg in the cup on Tuesday night.
An away trip to Hoffenheim is up next, where Nwaneri will be in contention to feature and make his Bundesliga debut.
A gap opened up in Dortmund’s squad following the injury to Giannis Konstantelias last week, which accelerated their pursuit of Nwaneri in the final days of the window.
Borussia Dortmund should be a great move for Ethan Nwaneri
In hindsight, Nwaneri’s loan move to Marseille last season was disrupted and ultimately damaging. This move to Dortmund feels different, at least on paper.
Dortmund have quite a remarkable track record of platforming young English talent. Jadon Sancho arrived as a raw teenager and left as one of the most coveted wingers in Europe at the time. And of course, Jude Bellingham walked through the same doors and became one of the best players in the world. Hopefully Nwaneri can follow a trajectory more similar to the latter.
And it will be such a great experience for Nwaneri himself, just in terms of the sheer size and support of the club. The Westfalenstadion, the Yellow Wall, the Champions League — there’s a lot to be attracted to there as a player.
But what’s most important for Nwaneri right now is regular football. He should get that in Germany at a club that knows exactly how to develop players at this stage of their careers.
Arsenal made the right decision to keep him rather than selling permanently. Now it’s over to Nwaneri to prove that and make the most of the opportunity.
Maybe next season Nwaneri can come straight in and claim a starting berth. He’s more than capable.
