1
Werder Bremen have officially completed the signing of Brazilian full-back Arthur from Bayer Leverkusen. The 23-year-old joins Daniel Thioune’s side on loan through the end of the 2026/27 campaign. Unlike fellow late transfer window arrivals Youri Regeer and Moussa Ndiaye, Werder have not secured a purchase option on Arthur.
Arthur becomes Bremen’s 14th and final incoming player of an extraordinarily busy summer transfer window. The Brazilian arrives with substantial experience at the highest level despite his relatively young age. Arthur has made 44 Bundesliga appearances and featured 13 times in the Champions League. He was also part of the Bayer squad that completed an unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2024.
Arthur completes Werder’s rebuild on the defensive flanks
Arthur’s arrival brings a significant late alteration to a Bremen squad that Get German Football News assessed in detail shortly before the beginning of the Bundesliga campaign. The full-back positions remained among the areas in which Werder could still add greater flexibility. Thioune’s preseason work repeatedly asked the wide defenders to play aggressively in possession while retaining the capacity to alter between a back four and alternative structures.
Deadline day supplied two new solutions.
Senegal international Moussa Ndiaye returned to German football on loan from Anderlecht earlier on Tuesday. The 24-year-old strengthens the left side and can additionally operate in central defence. Werder possess a purchase option on Ndiaye that sporting chief Clemens Fritz subsequently described as particularly favorable.
Arthur now reinforces the opposite flank.
Njinmah injury changes the picture, but not Werder’s plan
Werder entered deadline day having already been forced into one unexpected squad adjustment. The serious thigh injury suffered by Jens Stage removed Bremen’s leading goalscorer from the equation until at least the end of the calendar year. Werder reacted by bringing Ajax midfielder Youri Regeer in on loan with a reported €5m purchase option.
Another major injury then threatened to force Fritz and his staff back into the attacking market.
Justin Njinmah suffered a muscular thigh injury during Sunday’s 4-1 defeat at Freiburg and will miss the coming months. The setback leaves Bremen without the players who finished first and second on the club’s Bundesliga scoring chart last season. Stage scored ten league goals in 2025/26 while Njinmah contributed five.
Werder nevertheless consciously declined to sign another winger.
Fritz explained after the window closed that the club did not believe every injury could simply be replaced one-for-one. Bremen are optimistic Njinmah can return around November and instead elected to trust their existing attacking options while using their remaining resources to strengthen the full-back positions.
That decision places greater responsibility on Marco Grüll, returning loanee Eren Dinkçi and preseason standout Paul Erevbenagie on the wings. It also increases the importance of players capable of providing attacking width from deeper positions.
Arthur fits precisely into that calculation.
Fritz additionally pointed to the squad’s broader tactical flexibility after the window closed. Werder can continue with Thioune’s preferred 4-3-3 while retaining the option of shifting into a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 when personnel circumstances warrant it.
The Brazilian’s ability to operate aggressively on the right consequently gives Thioune another means of reshaping the team without requiring another specialist attacker.
After injuries dramatically altered their plans during the final days of the window, Bremen believe their 14th summer signing completes the squad they need for the months ahead.
Statements on Arthur’s Werder arrival
“Arthur is a player who can help us immediately,” Bremen head of professional football Peter Niemeyer noted in a club statement. “He knows the Bundesliga and has demonstrated his abilities at the highest level. We are therefore delighted that we were able to bring him here.”
“He will certainly settle in relatively quickly because of his quality and can immediately become an option for the defensive line,” head coach Daniel Thioune added. “He is quick and technically accomplished, meaning that he can also provide impulses going forward.”
