The dust has settled after a summer transfer window that saw the Premier League smash the record for the sums spent in a single window, with a combined total of over €3.5bn spent on players this summer. For comparison, Bundesliga clubs spent “only” ~€650m. €100m of that was spent by Borussia Dortmund. Sounds like a lot, right? Surely they must have bought lots of excellent players?
Well, to find out, we asked the Fear the Wall writers how they felt about BVB’s summer business. Let’s find out what
the damage is!
Paul: D
I find it pretty hard to get that excited about any of Dortmund’s business this summer. I think Jobe Bellingham has plenty of talent, but he’s going to require patience. I think it was a good move, but the fact that he was the club’s big-money move this summer is a little underwhelming. I’m excited about Carney Chukwuemeka, but there’s no question his purchase is a roll of the dice, and the Aarón Anselmino loan deal seems like smart business, but it lacks a purchase option. Completing moves for Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson is sensible, but it’s hard to get too pumped about finalizing deals for players that were already at the club. That leaves Fabio Silva… And I have no idea why we spent any money on a backup striker, let alone this one.
I think most of the moves BVB made this summer look fine in isolation, but taken together, it feels like the club hierarchy went into the window without a plan and left with a bunch of players that haven’t really fixed Dortmund’s squad holes. The club did well to shift players like Gittens for so much money, but I am pretty disappointed with how they spent.
Sean: F
One of the most baffling, incompetent, poorly-planned, and poorly-executed transfer windows I can remember. After spending what was apparently half their budget on Jobe Bellingham, the front office spent about 90% of the window dallying about while clubs around the Bundesliga made better transfers, constantly whining about how they didn’t have enough money, and waiting until the week before the deadline to make a few panic acquisitions, including a €25m backup striker who it turns out already needed surgery and will miss a few weeks/months. Despite all their thriftiness, they actually ended up spending close to €100m if you include fees for Yan Couto and Daniel Svensson, but it feels like they have little to show for it. The success of this window now entirely depends on Fabio Silva magically turning into an elite striker and Carney Chukwuemeka’s pudding knees magically turning into titanium. Meanwhile, the club still has holes in multiple other positions. In my opinion, every seat in that office should be searing hot right now.
Patrick: D
Borussia Dortmund’s signings weren’t necessarily poor this one. The addition of Anselmino is much needed and shrewd, Jobe Bellingham is a great player despite the price, and Carney Chukwuemeka is expected to develop into a great player if his knees hold up. The issue is, however, how Borussia Dortmund reached the end of this transfer window. After signing Jobe Bellingham on June 10, the club did not make any changes until after the Bundesliga season started. Rumors were that the club was waiting to see how the window would unfold in the hopes that prices drop, but, after missing out on several players, the club still paid market price for Chukwuemeka and Fabio Silva.
The positions reinforced were also bizarre. The club now has seven midfielders and no clear direction on who is in the starting XI. At striker the club spent €25 million to land Fabio Silva despite Serhou Guirassy being the league’s second-best striker and despite Maximilian Beier and Karim Adeyemi being serviceable back-ups. In a system that features five defenders, however, the club only made one signing despite three injuries and mixed form. It’s obvious that club hierarchy does not understand the team’s needs, and more obvious that they don’t understand how to function in a transfer market that rewards teams buying early.
The only thing saving this window from being an F is Anselmino’s 70-minute appearance against Union Berlin.
Alex: C
This transfer window left me with a mixed bag of feelings. Looking at what I think was done well, most of the transfers were well negotiated and good deals in my opinion. Dortmund got a solid price for want-away Gittens, earning a pretty penny without scalping Chelsea so much that it’d torpedo future negotiations. They managed to offload much of their chaff and struggling players, with decent deals struck for Moukoko, Haller, and Reyna. Every signing they bought was purchased at a good rate, and I think some recognition deserves to be given for the package deal of Chukwuemeka and Anselmino. A combination of patience and strong bargaining turned out well, with the €20m price tag being favourable, while also securing a vital addition for the backline in Anselmino.
The issue with this transfer window isn’t necessarily how much was spent, but where it was spent. Why was Jobe Bellingham purchased when Kovac had clearly requested a defensive midfielder, not a fifth central midfielder? The Fabio Silva deal begs the same question, while secured at a good price, was he really necessary when Maxi Beier exists? Some of the purchases just feel like Dortmund was shopping for bargains, not people they needed. Furthermore, certain positions were never reinforced during this window. The squad is lacking creative players following the loss of Reyna and Gittens. One would expect a creative playmaker addition (I am not counting Chukwuemeka, since he was already here on loan). I wholeheartedly expected a young, promising talent to join as Brandt’s understudy, but no such transfer was even rumored. There is a high chance now that Dortmund’s creative woes of last season will continue to be perpetuated into this season.
Your Thoughts?
What did you make of Dortmund’s summer transfer window? Are you more excited than the writers? Let us know in the comments.
