Arsenal blocked a request for a purchase option and included a recall clause in their agreement to loan Ethan Nwaneri to Borussia Dortmund. Nwaneri has agreed to spend the 2027-28 season on loan at the Westfalenstadion with Dortmund securing a player they had hoped to sign last summer before he agreed fresh terms with the Gunners. Arsenal still view Nwaneri's long-term future as with the club, and all parties go into this loan move intending for the 19-year-old to spend the entire season in the Bundesliga.
However, should minutes prove hard to come by for Nwaneri, or should Arsenal's needs require Nwaneri to come back, then they will be able to do so. CBS Sports sources say there are no conditions attached to this clause, which can be activated at any time during the January window. Dortmund's long-standing interest in Nwaneri resulted in a formal offer to loan the attacking midfielder after new signing Giannis Konstantelias suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Dortmund were unable to agree on a purchase option and will pay the entirety of the player's wages. Mikel Arteta acknowledged last month that Nwaneri might have to leave to continue his development at Arsenal, where Bukayo Saka, Max Dowman, Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke are among the players vying for minutes in the attacking midfield and right wing spots. "I want him to be at the club, but something is in the medium and long-term, what is the best for the player as well," Arteta said of Nwaneri.
"Ethan needs to play football. If he stays here, it's because we can guarantee that he can have those minutes. Otherwise, it's just something that is not good for anybody, I think." Nwaneri spent the second half of last season on loan at Marseille, making nine appearances and scoring twice.
That loan backfired when Roberto De Zerbi was sacked by the French side, after which the youngster played less than three hours of competitive football. Nwaneri is one of four attackers to leave in the final hours of the window. Gabriel Jesus joined Barcelona for $17.4 million while Fabio Vieira returned to Hamburg, where he was on loan last season, for $10.4 million.
Arsenal retain sell-on clauses for each player. Gabriel Martinelli is also set to join Al-Hilal for $81 million.
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