Dortmund is no stranger to big departures. Feels like every transfer window, one of the world’s biggest stars is trading in the black and yellow for new colours. Quite often fans of Borussia Dortmund don’t even need to check in on their ex-players to know how they’re fairing at their new clubs. Our exes are often always in the headlines, having a grand old time with their new teams. Take the likes of Haaland smashing scoring records at City, Jude becoming the heartbeat of Real Madrid at 23, Dembélé
winning a Ballon D’or and back to back Champions Leagues with former BVB wing back Hakimi. The list goes on…
With Die Schwarzgelben off to a flying start in the Bundesliga, the future feels bright but Dortmund fans love to reminisce on the good old days. Instead of stalking our exes at 3am, watching highlights of the good old days and wondering what things could of been like if they stayed; we at Fear The Wall have compiled a complete checkup of our summer departures (and maybe a few of our memorable exes from way back) in one place for your viewing pleasure. Load up some Adele, grab a tissue and come stalk with us.
The Biggest Breakups: Adeyemi & Brandt
We know these are the two you came for. We also know you probably have heard a lot more about Adeyemi and his time with Culers. He’s made 8 appearances, scored 3 goals and already has 2 assists. Barcelona has a lot of depth in the winger position with the likes of ballon d’or contender Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Gordon and Fermin Lopez; Adeyemi has only started 2/7 league matches. Adeyemi has played over 300 minutes, illustrating Barcelona intends to use him as a super sub and the young German winger has been excelling in that role since the start of season. For Dortmund fans, it’s no surprise Karim has hit the ground running. Brandt on the other hand is quietly having a great start to the season as well in the Netherlands. Ajax seems to be relying on Brandt to be a goal scorer rather than an assist provider as the 30 year old has 6 goals in 11 appearances without registering an assist to date. Brandt has had a rather efficient start at his time in Ajax, scoring approximately one goal every 110 minutes and averaging 7.58 rating (fotMob) this year. Brandt seems to have settled rather quick in his new role and seems to only be a matter of time before Brandt starts adding to his assist tally.
Leaving The Nest: Duranville & Wätjen
Two of Dortmund’s most promising youngsters. Duranville and Wätjen had fans excited for the future in Signal Iduna Park. Both players were expected to have explosive breakouts into the first team similar to the likes of Bynoe-Gittens or Gündoğan. However, breaking into the starting eleven at Borussia Dortmund takes more than just hype. Lack of opportunities, stiff competition and not enough stellar performances caused both of these young starlets to look for chances abroad. Duranville decided to make his way to Lyon this summer want Wätjen took his talents to Denmark, signing with FC Midtjylland. Duranville however has seem to run into the same challenges at Lyon. The young Belgian has played 68 minutes across all competitions for the French giants and has yet to produce a goal or assist. At 20 years old, he still has plenty of time to develop, but he’ll need minutes. Don’t be surprised if he goes on loan soon unless something changes in Lyon soon. Wätjen on the other hand has been getting plenty of minutes in Denmark. He’s made 11 appearances, recorded 2 goals and 1 assist so far. At 20 years old, he still hasn’t established himself as solidified started, but he’s definitely making his case to be one. He has yet to score a league goal but he has started 4/5 league matches this year and is under the tutelage of former BVB youth coach and beloved interim head coach for the senior team Mike Tullberg. Tullberg is obviously very familiar with the talent Wätjen has, so expect the young midfielder to be given more responsibility at FC Midtjylland in the near future.
Loan Check: Ramaj & Couto
At least they’re (maybe) coming back. Ramaj and Couto were among some of BVB’s most exciting prospects when they joined. Problem is both of them have to fight for minutes over the likes of Gregor Kobel and Julian Ryerson (respectively). No easy feat, so naturally both elected to seek out minutes through loan spells. With Couto going to the exciting Italian side Como which is currently being managed by Spanish legend Cesc Fàbregas and Ramaj having already gone on a loan spell within Germany (with Heidenheim last season), decided to take his talents to FC Copenhagen.
Yan Couto never quite found his footing in Dortmund. Ryerson is a very dependable option for the role of right wing back in the BVB system. Constantly being an active part in both the defensive and offensive portions of Dortmund’s games, Couto offers very high upside on the offensive end (as we saw while he played in Girona) but definetely needs to work on his defensive aspects. In Como, Couto has started all 5 league games and has played 417 minutes for the up and coming Italian side, even recording an assist. The Brazilian fullback seems to be flourishing in a 4 man defensive line, with a double pivot sitting in front of them allowing Couto to be more active in the attack, thus causing him to average a 7.31 fotMob rating over the season. Fans of the Black & Yellow should be excited to see Couto find some form out in Italy as he is expected to return back to Signal Iduna Park at the end of the season.
Diant Ramaj is a candidate for being Dortmund’s most promising ex. He’s started 5 league games and posted 4 clean sheets, only allowing 1 goal against in 450 minutes. Ramaj has posted 92.3% save percentage facing 13 shots. In the Conference League Qualifications he’s only allowed 1 goal in a 4-1 win against FC Inter Turku. It’s not only his defensive contributions that should raise an eye brow, Copenhagen manager: Bo Svensson has praised his composure and ability to contribute to build-up play. While this is all very exciting for Dortmund fans, don’t hold your breath. Copenhagen does have an option to buy, and with Gregor Kobel’s extension looming, it would not be a shock if Ramaj stays in Denmark.
Under the Radar: Campbell
While former SV Elversberg Sporting Director Ole Book was busy making moves for Borussia Dortmund this past transfer window, his former club made a move of its own, securing young American winger Cole Campbell from BVB. SV Elversberg have quietly been Como-esque meteoric rise and Campbell was brought in to help. He’s started 4/4 league matches and marked his first goal after just 9 minutes into his debut. This has led to the US men’s team to give Campbell his first international call up. Elversberg’s sporting director has praised his pace and one-on-one ability. It seems as though Campbell has been more than prepared for regular minutes in a major European league and seems he’s only going to get better as the season goes on.
Trip Down Memory Lane: Anselmino
“Never fall in love with a loan player”. Well, we did and his name was Aaron Anselmino. Before Joane Gadou, Luca Reggiani and Filippo Mane, Anselmino was the promising centreback that stole our hearts. While at loan in Dortmund he made 10 appearances (playing 585 minutes), registering one assist and one goal under Niko Kovač. He was prematurely recalled by Chelsea in January 2026. This left the young Argentinian visibly distraught. He was then sent on loan to Strasbourg where he played a whopping 15 minutes. He struggled with injuries in France that then reappeared in the summer of 2026 during Chelsea’s preseason. This season he has yet to play a single minute for Chelsea. Possibly the most heartbreaking departure in recent memory for Dortmund, Anselmino is likely to be sold and hopefully will resuscitate his career elsewhere in the upcoming transfer windows.
Your Thoughts
Which recent departure do you miss the most?
