Wednesday, December 8th, 2021
Borussia Dortmund wants clarity
Watzke insists on Haaland decision
Borussia Dortmund has been eliminated from the Champions League. The 5-0 win against Besiktas doesn’t change that. Erling Haaland, who comes on late and scores two goals, could soon be saying goodbye. BVB wants clarity. The planning for the new season has started.
It was the biggest BVB victory in the Champions League ever, but also certainly one of the most useless. With a 5-0 (2-0) win against Besiktas Istanbul, Borussia Dortmund said goodbye to the premier class after a disappointing group stage. Now the look is in the direction of the Europa League, the last European title that this proud and fickle club from Westphalia is still missing. And the focus is already on the coming season. Because on that evening in the Dortmund stadium, the question hovered above everything: Will Erling Haaland stay with BVB beyond the coming summer or is the superstar going on his journey into the world of super clubs?
“I guess we’ll talk in the next few weeks,” said BVB boss Watzke when asked about the future of the 21-year-old on Amazon. “It’s not about an extension either, but about whether a clause will be drawn in the summer or not.” The ominous clause in Haaland’s contract is intended to enable the brute striker, who with his two joker goals against Besiktas now has 74 goals in 72 competitive games for BVB, to change clubs for a sum of less than 100 million euros. A bargain for one of the most sought-after players in the world who moved from Salzburg to Dortmund in January 2020 for only 20 million euros.
Even if the Dortmund officials have repeatedly pointed out the possibility of staying in the past few weeks, the bosses are more concerned with planning security for the coming season. With Karim Adeyemi, a possible successor is already in the starting blocks. The rumors have been intensifying, at least in the past few weeks. Once again Dortmund could lure a hopeful talent with the promise of guaranteed appearances, once again this talent could see the club as the next step on the way to an international career. The old BVB song that the Schwarzgelben have been performing at a high level for years, which does not bring them any closer to the European top, but keeps them further away from the national competition. That shows this season alone, in which Borussia has established itself near the top without much shine. The gap to many Bundesliga competitors is now too big.
Changes also in defense
Perhaps because of this relative security, the specific planning phase for the coming season at Borussia Dortmund begins early. The cup winner pays particular attention to the last wobbling defense. With 22 goals against in only 14 Bundesliga games, only six clubs have currently conceded more goals than the Champions League candidate from Borsigplatz.
The Croatian national defender Marin Pongracic, on loan from Wolfsburg, was unable to give the defense little stability in his appearances. Dan-Axel Zagadou remains plagued by injuries. The huge defender is currently back in the squad and was even in the starting line-up against Besiktas for the first time this season, but whether his contract, which expires in the summer, will be extended and whether BVB will be able to seriously plan with the 22-year-old Frenchman, is for the time being in the stars. Since moving to Dortmund in 2017, Zagadou has only played 54 Bundesliga games and has been sidelined several times with muscle or knee injuries.
One last lap around Borsigplatz
National player Mats Hummels is also controversial this season. This was shown not least by his weak performance in the 2: 3 game against Bayern, in which his serious mistake before the 1: 1 brought the record champions back into the game in the first place. Because of his age alone, the 2014 world champion no longer owns the future that is permanently planned in Dortmund, as in all other clubs. So it comes as no surprise that the first names are already appearing.
Once again, according to “Sport Bild”, Hertha defender Niklas Stark is there. The 26-year-old can leave the capital city club in the summer for free. However, there are currently not many more arguments in favor of him. It looks different with national player Nico Schlotterbeck. For the 22-year-old professional from SC Freiburg, there was already specific interest from the English Premier League last summer. According to ntv.de information, a club is said to have offered around 20 million euros for the defender who returned to Breisgau from a loan from Union Berlin in the summer. The defender with the best marks in the league according to “Kicker” will be able to choose from numerous offers next summer. Record champions Bayern Munich should also be interested.
The end in the Champions League, the always strange position in the Bundesliga, in which BVB acts too slowly for the left lane, the champions lane, and too fast for the right lane, which is outside the top four, as it has for years. Everything smells like another year of transition in the old beer capital of the republic. Although: There are still trophies to be won in the Cup and in the Europa League. In Dortmund, when there is not a pandemic, they are often celebrated at Borsigplatz, the birthplace of the traditional club. And maybe Erling Haaland can still do one or two laps around him and then start his world career. There should be clarity about a possible change soon. So the hope of Dortmund. The only question left is: will Haaland participate?