Although most of the BVB faithful have not managed to get over the fact of their star midfielder joining rivals Bayern Munich, BVB do have a few options that could aptly replace the young German
Replacing a player of Mario Gotze’s calibre is not an easy thing at all and there are a very few bunch of players that can do the same job for Dortmund. The German international is indeed an outstanding player and his departure is a bitter loss for the club. However, everyone should realise that Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp has in the past always ensured that departing players do not have a significant adverse effect on the team and has always improved for the better.
Though the task is not that easy, there are a few players that can fill in the void created by the departure of Gotze from Westefallen Stadion.
Christian Eriksen
Age: 21
Nationality: Danish
Club: Ajax Amsterdam
The young Denmark international seems to be a straightforward replacement. The player’s contract with the Eredivisie side runs out next summer and the Amsterdammers are quite keen on cashing in on a player who definitely has a bright future.
If we take a look at him, Eriksen has been doing a more or less similar job that Gotze did at Dortmund which is sitting just behind the main striker and in front of two holding midfielders. However, despite all the promise and success, one cannot deny the fact that Eriksen has been successful only in Netherlands. But that doesn’t mean that he cannot realise his potential in the Bundesliga.
In past, many Dutch Eredivisie ‘graduates’ have made a slow start in Germany. For instance, Luuk de Jong was bought by Borussia Monchengladbach last year and scored just six goals in the league. The transition can be a tough one which could be the reason why BVB are keeping their options open.
Kevin de Bruyne
Age: 21
Nationality: Belgian
Club: Chelsea
Since signing for Chelsea from Racing Genk for 7 million pounds, Kevin de Bruyne has spent more time being farmed out to other clubs with the last one being Werder Bremen with whom he played for one season. During that time, the youngster became the lynchpin of his side’s midfield and helped them steer away from the clutches of relegation.
Though his career has just started, de Bruyne has shown that he can make a name for himself in the future if given a chance. At Chelsea, it might be hard for him to play regularly which means that the player will not be against the idea of playing for BVB.
Moreover, with his inclination to drift out wide time and time again, de Bruyne will be a perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp’s side that has an interchanging front four. Blessed with an eye for a great pass and a neat finish, de Bruyne could well be the player who fills in Gotze’s boots.
Transformation of Ilkay Gundogan
Perhaps the best possible scenario and a money saving one for BVB could be to evolve Ilkay Gundogan from just a sitting playmaker to a complete number 10. The 22-year-old showed last season that he is very comfortable playing behind the striker thanks to his excellent dribbling and passing technique and this could allow him to effectively replace Mario Gotze in the Dortmund line up.
Replacing in-house
Currently, the brightest talents in BVB’s youth academy are Leonardo Bittencourt and Moritz Leitner. Although the youngsters have not been given a lot of chances but when called upon both the youngsters have proved that they have bright futures ahead of them.
