It was a strange and frustrating night for Bundesliga table-toppers Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri as club football returned on Friday night.
Across Europe’s five major leagues, only themselves, Barcelona and Manchester City went into the recent extended international break with a 100% winning record.
They were comfortably the better side against an in-form, stubborn Werder Bremen, but struggled to find a way through for the opening 80 minutes. Two goals in quick succession finally broke the visitors’ resistance and looked to have rescued a deserved victory.
Bremen had other ideas. The visitors pulled one back in the 88th minute before former Dortmund striker Niclas Fullkrug, on loan from West Ham, struck a dramatic 92nd-minute dagger to complete an extraordinary late comeback.
No goals in the first 80 minutes, four in the final 15. Quite what Nwaneri made of it all is anyone’s guess, having been withdrawn just after the hour mark and made to watch the chaos unfold from the bench.
The 19-year-old has made five appearances since joining Dortmund on deadline day, with zero goals and zero assists to show for them. He’s edging towards the increasingly tiresome 007 meme, but if you actually watch football – a novel concept, we know – rather than judge players by stats round-ups and SofaScore algorithm ratings, there are plenty of encouraging signs.
Nwaneri’s performance against Werder Bremen was probably his best yet, the highlight being a bicycle kick goal that was unfortunately ruled out for a soft foul in the build-up.
As it happened, Nwaneri’s biggest obstacle was a familiar face from Arsenal. Admittedly, he and Karl Hein occupied different orbits at the Emirates and never shared the pitch. Someone he might’ve shared some awkward small talk with in the canteen. More of a colleague than a team-mate.
Still, the Estonian international goalkeeper produced the finest individual display of the night, pulling off a number of excellent saves to keep Dortmund scoreless for so long. Nwaneri managed two shots on target and one key pass, but Hein was on hand to deny him a first goal or assist.
The German media’s verdict was mixed. BILD were particularly harsh, while Spox praised Nwaneri’s growing influence and attacking threat. Goal highlighted his technical ability but questioned his end product. The general consensus? Encouraging flashes, but still waiting for it all to click.
Fortunately for Nwaneri, Dortmund have long been one of Europe’s best finishing schools for rough diamonds, with Achraf Hakimi, Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho among the teenage prospects to take their games to another level in Germany. That remains the case today. Jobe Bellingham has made considerable strides after a difficult debut season and now regularly lines up alongside Nwaneri.
With Dortmund suffering something of an injury crisis in the attacking midfield department, most notably losing Giannis Konstantelias and Justin Lerma, Nwaneri should have plenty more opportunities to establish himself. Regular starts, Champions League football and a considerably more stable environment than the basket case he left behind at Marseille.
Where exactly Nwaneri fits into Arsenal’s future plans remains to be seen. Whether the idea is to reintegrate him into Mikel Arteta’s squad or eventually cash in, this feels like a crucial year in his development.
A first proper season of regular minutes, at a settled club with a proven track record of improving young players, looks like a great fit.