Report: Mahmoud Dahoud to Join Brighton on Free Transfer

Six years after he joined Borussia Dortmund from Borussia Monchengladbach, Mahmoud Dahoud is leaving the club. According to Fabrizio Romano and Patrick Berger, the German midfielder has completed his medical in London and is ready to hammer out the details of a new contract with Brighton & Hove Albion. Once the move is completed, he will be joining them on a free transfer in the summer.

Mahmoud Dahoud always had loads of technical skill, but he never seemed able to put them together and engrave himself in Dortmund’s starting XI, whether due to injuries, inconsistent play, or a lack of esteem between himself and whichever coach has been in charge. In his six seasons with BVB, he has averaged less than 1,000 minutes per season in Bundesliga competitions. This trend reached a head this season, in which, even despite Dortmund’s various injuries and lack of depth in midfield, Dahoud has played less than 400 minutes. For reasons we can only speculate, Dahoud has completely fallen out of favor with Edin Terzic.

Ever since he came to Dortmund, Dahoud has been a polarizing figure among the club’s fan base, with some fans becoming slavishly devoted to him (@Paddy), while others have criticized his inconsistent play, maddening tendencies to give the ball away and take ill-advised long shots, and susceptibility to injuries.

Dahoud is 27, which means he only has a few more years of his prime remaining. It makes sense that he wouldn’t want to spend those years wasting away on the bench in Dortmund. In Brighton he could play for a very well-run Premier League club and presumably play first-squad minutes while making high wages. It really is a great move from his perspective.

With both Dahoud and potentially Jude Bellingham leaving, Dortmund will need to make multiple midfield signings this summer, or they will be dangerously shallow heading into next season.

Editor’s note: RIP to the loser of Election Night 2020, the reason why seats in the 20th row of the Westfalenstadion come with free life insurance policies, the love of Paddy’s life, and boon to facial hair enthusiasts everywhere.