ETHAN NWANERI has revealed how Jobe Bellingham was urging him to join Borussia Dortmund.
Arsenal midfielder Nwaneri, 19, moved to the German club on transfer deadline day for a season-long loan.
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And it was his England Under-21 team-mate Jobe Bellingham, younger brother of Three Lions star Jude, that was calling him to make the move to Bundesliga.
Nwaneri said: “I’ve spoken with Jobe over the last few days.
“He asked, ‘What’s going on with you?’ And I told him I couldn’t say for sure yet either. But we talked a lot.
“And he kept saying the whole time that I should come to Dortmund. I’m glad we’ll be playing side by side now.
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“I’m here and I’m going to fight for my spot on the team. I’m going to give it my all – as much and as well as I possibly can – for the fans.
“We’ll see what comes of it. I’m ready to fight and sacrifice myself for the team.
“As soon as I heard about Dortmund’s interest and we had a meeting, everything moved very quickly.
“Within just a few hours, there were advanced talks going on behind the scenes. So, as soon as I found out they were interested, I was ready to make the move.”
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Nwaneri will be back in England during the Champions League group phase, though, as Dortmund have games against Arsenal and Aston Villa.
The midfielder is excited for that and also believes he will cope better being abroad after spending six months on loan at Marseille last season.
He added: “It’s much easier now. The first time, you’re really leaving your comfort zone. It’s just uncharted territory.
“But now I’m more relaxed, more open, and mentally better prepared. I know what to expect by now.
“Both [the Emirates and Villa Park] are definitely special places. Quite a few teams in England find it challenging to play there.
“The atmosphere is great at both stadiums. I’m sure they’ll be two really good matches. We have to be ready.”
FAB’S PEN PALS
FABIO VIEIRA was being bombarded with messages from fans begging him to join Hamburg this summer.
The midfielder spent last season on loan at the German side and has now joined them permanently from Arsenal for £7.7million.
Vieira wanted to return to Hamburg after shining on loan there – and that feeling was shared by the club’s supporters.
The Portuguese playmaker said: “The fans wrote to me every single day – no joke. It’s something special when you experience such warmth from people. I also felt the great appreciation from some of the players.
“The guys asked me where I was and wrote to tell me I should come to Hamburg.
“When you receive that kind of trust from all sides – the fans, management, coaches, players, and staff – it makes the decision much easier.”
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TZOL DESTROYING
CHRISTOS TZOLIS was comforted by his team-mates at full-time following Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Aston Villa on Monday.
The Greek winger had an evening to forget after he was hooked at half-time by manager Mikel Arteta.
Tzolis, who had impressed in his first two games this season, was lucky not to be sent off after a number of frustrated challenges in the first 45 minutes.
The £34m summer arrival seemed dejected at full-time and Piero Hincapie was spotted putting an arm around him as he trudged off the pitch.
Tzolis is going to have a huge role to play at Arsenal this season following a mass exodus of attacking talent.
The departures of Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri mean Tzolis is set to spend the campaign as the Gunners’ first-choice left winger.
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CLOCKING OFF
ARSENAL will likely have to skip one of their matchday traditions when Chelsea visit the Emirates Stadium this weekend.
The Gunners invariably kick off towards the Clock End when they play at home, except when Chelsea come to town.
Blues skipper Reece James has regularly thrown a spanner in the works when Chesea travel to North London by asking to swap sides during the coin toss.
James has made sure Arsenal’s usual routine was flipped on its head the last two times that Chelsea played at the Emirates.
Although his unusual tactic is yet to pay off as Chelsea haven’t won in N5 since August 2021.
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YOUNG GUNS
ARSENAL’S youngsters stole the show as England U16s beat Italy 2-1 in a friendly last week.
Luis Munoz, 14, captained the Young Lions as his profile continues to grow in youth football.
The highly-rated midfielder was the skipper for his country just a few days before playing his second game for Arsenal’s Under-18s side this weekend.
Meanwhile Jaden Maghoma, 15, scored a 90th minute winner to earn England the 2-1 victory over Italy.
Travis Chilard-Martin was also involved for England, just a few weeks after he earned a callup to France’s U16 squad.
The 15-year-old prospect is eligible for both nations and has yet to decide which country to represent.
MYLES AHEAD
MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY has become a vocal member of the Arsenal dressing room.
Despite being just 19-years-old, Lewis-Skelly is already having an influence off the pitch alongside the more experienced pros.
New signing Chritos Tzolis revealed that Lewis-Skelly is one of a number of players who help to keep the team motivated and the standards high.
Tzolis said: “Everyone tries to help each other in training, on the pitch, during the games as well.
“We are one team that wants to improve and the aim is to win every time, so the standards are high in training as well.
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“I can say the more experienced guys, they speak a lot, like Mikel Merino, Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice, I can hear a lot – Myles as well.
“I think it’s good to have these kinds of players next to you and to learn from them.”
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