Borussia Dortmund faced an unexpected refusal in the final stages of the transfer window, which prevented an additional signing. Defender Reggiani, promoted from the U23s to the first-team squad, independently turned down a move to an English club.
This decision had further consequences for the Bundesliga club's transfer planning. Another potential deal fell through: Dortmund apparently had Marcel Regula from Polish top-flight side Zaglebie Lubin lined up as a Plan B, should the already arranged transfer of Ethan Nwaneri fail. Nwaneri, the 19-year-old loanee from FC Arsenal, was ultimately signed as a replacement for the injured Giannis Konstantelias.
Why Dortmund were looking for a new player in the first place
The need for an attacking player arose from a serious injury to Giannis Konstantelias. The Greek suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear during his Bundesliga debut for BVB against Hamburger SV, despite scoring his first goal for the club in that match. He will be absent for the team for several months. As a direct replacement, Ethan Nwaneri was subsequently loaned for one season. The signing of the young Englishman was completed shortly before the transfer deadline.
How Reggiani decided to stay at BVB
Reggiani, who was promoted from the U23s to head coach Niko Kovac's first team in the summer, has not yet played any minutes under the Croatian. Nevertheless, the centre-back decided against a move. The centre-back independently turned down a move to the island. His veto made the parallelly planned deal for Marcel Regula obsolete, although that transfer did not materialize.
What this means for the current campaign
Niko Kovac's team started the new Bundesliga season with a win and sits in fifth place in the standings with three points. The record after one matchday shows two goals scored and none conceded. The next test awaits on September 12 with the home game against 11th-placed SC Paderborn 07. Reggiani's personal decision now leaves a specific situation in central defence that Kovac will have to consider in the coming matches. The full schedule of upcoming fixtures can be found on our fixtures page.
The injury to Konstantelias and the resulting loan deal for Nwaneri were the main movements in late transfer business. However, Reggiani's refusal, having only recently been promoted to the professional squad, led to another planned defensive manoeuvre not being realized. BVB will therefore proceed with the squad list configuration into the next few weeks, with the next opportunity for Reggiani to prove himself being the home match against Paderborn.
