By Christian Grieb
If one were to measure the mood in the Dortmund camp between May and August, it would have been really easy to witness an absolute roller coaster of emotions for fans and management. To say the summer break for Dortmund has been anything but wild would be an understatement. The black and yellows have exchanged a total of 219.5 million Euros this off-season on players coming and going. Not only has the amount of money exchanged been staggering, but the names on the departure and arrival lists have raised eyebrows. What all of this translates to for the Ruhr Valley club for the next season is still to be determined, but the quality Dortmund has added in the transfer window has many optimistic they can make a run at the title in the 16/17 season.
Dortmund are heading into the season having lost three of their main pillars at the club in Mats Hummels (FC Bayern), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Manchester United). Each of these players were considered instrumental in their respective roles, and required big fees for Dortmund to let them go. All three left the club for a total of 109 million Euro. The money, though, seemed like only a slight consolation as Dortmund not only lost their captain but also the leaders over the last three seasons. In particluar, Mkhitaryan lead the Bundesliga in assists and was instrumental in getting the Tuchel possession based offense going last year.
The reliable Defender and Captain Matts Hummells will be donning FC Bayern Red this season
Club bosses, however, have been very active in fetching some of Europe’s most prized talents to replace the club. Not only have Dortmund secured the services of talented jewels in Europe such as Ousmane Dembele and Emre Mor, but they’ve also opened the purse strings to add experince as well. Most notably, Dortmund have brought back their lost son in Mario Goetze. While many are calling the return of Goetze a prodigal son scenario, many elements within Dortmund are not so happy to see Goetze return. Some feel he betrayed the club and are skeptical of his reunification with BVB. From a club standpoint, Dortmund snagged a young playmaker with World Class potential for next season as a direct replacement for Mkhitaryan. Fans will be expecting a lot from Goetze, but early indications show he’s ready for the challenge.
Mario Gotze in preseason action – Image courtesy of ESPN FC
Goetze wasn’t the only big name transfer, though. Andre Schuerrle also makes his way from Vfl Wolfsburg to BVB, reuniting the World Cup 2014 winning duo. Schuerrle was rumored to be a must have for Thomas Tuchel, and should help give BVB some experience in the midfield. Dortmund have also shored up the back by bringing in Spain international Marc Bartra from Barca. Bartra is ready to prove he can be the leader in the central defense for a big club.
Dortmund certainly have gone out and added quality to the squad, despite losing three main players. The question that remains is how this team will gel and come together under Trainer Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel will have a lot to balance to keep everyone happy, but will have plenty of weapons on his hands to mount an aggressive attack toward the title this year. Dortmund are likely to finish in the top 3, and seem to have Bayern a bit worried. Realistically, Dortmund will finish second behind Bayern. If everything does go to Tuchel’s plan, though, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Black and Yellows mounting a serious title campaign in the 16/17 Bundesliga season.
