Keep or Sell Part Two: Who Should Borussia Dortmund Re-sign

While things are extremely busy on the pitch for Die Schwarzgelben, the board are faced with many difficult tasks as well. 16 of Borussia Dortmund’s 33 senior players (including loanees) are going to be out of contract by the summer of 2022. This means the club needs to take a good hard look at these players in order to assemble the most competitive squad possible, both on and off the pitch.

In the first part of this series we focused on goalkeepers and defenders, now in the second part of this three-part series we will discuss midfielders and attackers.

Mahmoud Dahoud

Contract Expires: 2022

Re-sign now! Seriously, why has this not been done already? Mahmoud Dahoud has cemented his name on the team sheet ever since the first leg of the Sevilla match, where the slick-haired Syrian-born German dominated the midfield, scoring a 25-yard curled stunner. Check out that goal again right here:

After a falling out with Edin Terzic in early January, many fans questioned if Dahoud’s career at Dortmund was over, but circumstance gave Dahoud another chance and he has been nothing short of exceptional. On current form, Mo is unstoppable and seems to be thriving in this dual 8 system alongside English sensation Jude Bellingham. Dahoud showed signs of what was to come earlier in the season, playing really well despite playing limited minutes. In fact, Borussia Dortmund have only lost twice this season in all four competitions when Dahoud starts, both against Bayern Munich. With his contract up next summer, the Dortmund board need to get his signature sooner, rather than later.

Verdict: Offer New Long-term Contract with Improved Terms

Sergio Gomez

Contract Expires: 2022

Talented Spanish attacker Sergio Gomez transferred to Borussia Dortmund in January of 2018 after spending eight years with the famous La Masia Academy in Barcelona. Unfortunately, Gomez has yet to start a senior match for BVB, logging only nine minutes of Bundesliga action. The left-footed playmaker has loads of talent and a lot of hardware for a 20-year-old, a resume that includes being a European Champion at U-17 & U-19 level.

Having been on loan since 2019 for SD Huesca in La Liga, Gomez has appeared in 56 matches with 23 starts for the Spanish minnows. Gomez has obviously failed to impress given he cannot stake a claim in the starting XI of a side that is rock bottom in the table. Huesca have an option to buy and if they choose to exercise it then I am sure the Dortmund board will be happy for him to go, I am just not sure they will be buying Gomez given he has zero goals and one assist in all competitions. If Gomez comes back this summer, it may be interesting to see how he does in preseason training with a more talented squad around him.

Verdict: Sell

Immanuel Pherai

Contract Expires: 2022

19-year-old Dutch prospect Immanuel Pherai has been on loan at PEC Zwolle in the Netherlands this season, having bagged one goal and two assists in 20 Eredivisie appearances. Pherai, like Gomez, has struggled to establish himself in the starting XI, but has started about half of Zwolle’s games and seems to be more productive than his Spanish counterpart. Zwolle are 13th in the Eredivisie, eight points above the relegation playoff spot, with nine matches left to play.

Photo by Peter Lous/Soccrates/Getty Images

Having arrived in 2017 at the tender age of 16, Pherai won the U-17 Bundesliga title in his maiden season, following by the U-19 Bundesliga title the next season. The Dutchman has scored 16 goals in 57 appearances for Borussia Dortmund’s youth teams. I think the board should extend one of these two attackers (Gomez & Pherai) this summer before they head into the final year of their contracts. Of the two players, Pherai looks to be the bigger talent and I think he should get another contract with possibly one more loan to further gain experience.

Verdict: Re-sign with potential for one more loan

Thomas Delaney

Contract Expires: 2022

Danish midfield enforcer Thomas Delaney signed with Borussia Dortmund from Werder Bremen in 2018, and was a regular starter in the double-pivot during Lucien Favre’s first season with the club. With Axel Witsel by his side, Delaney logged nearly 2,300 minutes for Die Schwarzgelben, coming very close to a Bundesliga title. That season was Delaney’s best for BVB and while he is a consistent performer, there is nothing special about him.

While Delaney is a hard-working midfielder, he has a narrow skillset that means his contribution to games is relatively limited. Playing for a club like Dortmund is definitely his ceiling, and at 29, now is the only time that the club will be able to recoup any transfer fee for him. It is time we say goodbye to Thomas Delaney.

Verdict: Sell

Axel Witsel

Contract Expires: 2022

The Belgian Maestro signed for BVB in a surprise move in the summer of 2018, returning to Europe from the Chinese Super League. Having spent time with Zenit in Russia, Benfica in Portugal, and Standard Liege in his home country, Axel Witsel has taken a strange path considering his impressive reputation. Borussia Dortmund are the biggest club he has played for and yet his reputation when arriving was that of someone who had played for Barcelona or Manchester United.

Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images

Witsel has made 104 appearances since joining Borussia Dortmund and been first choice in the middle of the park for Die Schwarzgelben. Witsel offers robust tackling, control of midfield, and his passing is unmatched. Unfortunately for both Witsel and BVB, an achilles tendon injury in January against RB Leipzig has set the Belgian on a long road to recovery. While it may seem unconventional, I believe the board should offer Witsel an extension. This team currently has no other midfielder quite like Witsel, and his injury and age means there is unlikely to be a particularly lucrative market for his services. Witsel means more to Dortmund at this point than any side looking for a holding midfielder, and considering we got him so cheap, I think we should keep him around.

Verdict: Offer Extension

Tobias Raschl

Contract Expiry 2022

21-year-old Tobias Raschl is an all around midfielder who was having an excellent season for Borussia Dortmund II. In only 15 appearances, Raschl had tallied 3 goals and 7 assists in the Regionalliga West before matches were suspended. Having only made one senior appearance for the club, Raschl remains a hopeful talent at central midfield and I think the board should be looking to lock him up moving forward, and potentially looking to loan him out next season to get experience.

Verdict: Offer Extension

Reinier Jesus Carvalho

Loan Expires: 2022

Reinier is currently on loan from Real Madrid until the end of next season, on a long-term loan similar to the deal that brought Achraf Hakimi to BVB. Los Blancos have high hopes for the Brazilian attacking midfielder given they have locked him into a long term deal until 2026. Having only played 132 minutes in 8 substitute appearances, Reinier has yet to carve out a role in the squad. However, Reinier opened his scoring account in late February after only 22 seconds on the pitch in the 3-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld. Real Madrid will want him back after his loan is over, but he could prove useful heading into next season with BVB short on cash and Jadon Sancho set to leave. Reinier may be primed to help fill those minutes next season.

Verdict: Continue Loan Agreement

Youssoufa Moukoko

Contract Expiry 2022

Which striker on the books has scored 127 goals in black and yellow? That’s right, it is Youssoufa Moukoko. The 16-year-old has crushed scoring records at every level on his way to the first team this past November, when he signed his first professional contract. While only two of those goals have come for the senior squad, the club know that they have a prodigious talent on their hands, and they will not be letting him go anytime soon.

Photo by Lukas Schulze/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images

New terms will be offered when the time is right, but right now Moukoko is working with the senior squad to gain experience. All of the coaches have said that Cameroonian starlet is too good for the lower age groups so right now the focus is on learning from the senior players and developing his game. Moukoko is still a little lightweight, and he is not a big target, so it will take time for him to gain his footing in the team. I really wish we were comfortably in the top four so we could throw Moukoko and Steffen Tigges out as a strike partnership in the last match or two. Tigges is not nearly the talent Moukoko is, but given his size and aerial ability, Tigges flicking on headers to a streaking Moukoko in attack would be really fun to watch.

Verdict: Offer Extension

Your Thoughts

Which of these players have long-term futures at the club? Share your thoughts below.