When it comes to injuries and long, unpredictable breaks, Borussia Dortmund’s new sporting director has learned a lot firsthand. But as a player, Sebastian Kehl had more to do with classic, albeit complex, footballer injuries. Not with potentially life-threatening illnesses like those of BVB striker Sébastien Haller. Two days before the first competitive game of the new season, Kehl found it difficult to make the forecasts that journalists wanted from him on Wednesday.
All questions are raised about Haller, Dortmund’s most expensive addition, brought in from Ajax Amsterdam for 31 million euros a few weeks ago. And if you were brave enough to talk about title ambitions in Dortmund two or three weeks ago, the center forward’s testicular tumor diagnosis has pulled the rug out from under your feet. After all, sports director Kehl was able to announce on Wednesday that Haller had already had “successful surgery”. At the same time, the diagnosis of the findings is of course ongoing. Treatment options would be discussed, “there are different options,” as Kehl wanted to explain the medical situation, without immediately throwing all the practices of doctor-patient confidentiality overboard.
The devastating diagnosis that Haller received at the Bad Ragaz training camp has had a significant impact on his club’s mental balance. Haller himself and his family share the fate and uncertainty of every patient with a largely unexplained tumor disease. “Different therapies” includes the usual methods, from radiation to chemotherapy. Nothing you recover from quickly, especially not at competitive athlete level. Kehl hardly had to mention that Haller would be out for “several months”.
Haller is to be replaced by a duo
Haller will definitely not be back until the World Cup break in November. Many in Dortmund are already preparing for a whole season without the 28-year-old Frenchman. Compared to the severity of Haller’s illness, season forecasts are secondary – but they concern the whole club. Two days before the DFB Cup game at third division club TSV 1860 Munich on Friday, Dortmund’s returning coach Edin Terzić is faced with the cardinal question of how to replace a tall, beefy striker à la Haller with a duo of two completely different types of players. Kehl admitted that “Haller’s profile may be missing” in the squad.
Out with a tumor diagnosis for a long time: BVB striker Sébastien Haller.
(Photo: David Indianlied/Imago)
That could perhaps be solved quickly on the transfer market at Bayern Munich or even wealthier clubs. But Dortmund has already reached the end of the financial road with its series of fairly expensive additions. The announced restructuring of the team should also have included the vacating of high-paying positions in the squad. But players like Manuel Akanji and Nico Schulz are still there and it’s difficult to say whether they’re serious about making a move. Thorgan Hazard and Raphael Guerreiro have also been declared expendable – but these two like it so much in Dortmund that they prefer to stay on the BVB payroll for the time being.
Cavani, Dzeko, Modeste: The intermediaries outdo each other with prominent offers
“It would be negligent,” says BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke, “if we didn’t collect any ideas.” That probably means: We can’t actually afford a direct replacement for Haller – but you have to explore the market anyway. As you can hear, the consultants are running into the Dortmunders. On offer are mostly older semesters, above all the goalscorer Edinson Cavani, 35 and released at Manchester United to the old age without a contract.
But Cavani is used to salaries that he cannot earn in Dortmund. Things are similar with Edin Dzeko (Inter Milan, 36) or Anthony Modeste (Cologne, 34). Modeste might still be imaginable. Mauro Icardi, Argentinian, only 29, but superfluous at Paris Saint-Germain because of Messi, Neymar and Mbappé, would theoretically go. But probably only if Dortmund could still collect one or the other transfer fee.
Apart from that, the options aren’t that bad for Edin Terzić who would prefer to play with a classic striker. In theory anyway. A duo with Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi, both extremely fast and proven goalscorers, seems to make sense. Youssoufa Moukoko, who is still only 17, is also back under Terzić. In practice, however, Terzić’s side have only suffered two friendly defeats against very serious Spanish opponents – 1-3 against Valencia, 0-2 against Villarreal. Football isn’t a manager’s game after all.
A new triumvirate on the defensive apparently still needs time to adapt
And apart from the question of how to attack and score goals without a “Haller type”, after the preparation the question also arose as to what had become of the actual BVB company to reposition the shaky defense. With Niklas Süle, Nico Schlotterbeck and Salih Özcan, BVB has apparently perfectly repositioned itself in the triangle in front of its own goal. But in the two friendlies mentioned, Dortmund’s defense looked as old as ever.
Sometimes fitting new players is as quick as buying a shoe. Slip into an immediate sense of well-being. But sometimes the processes take a long time and it can be painful. Dortmund has the misfortune of apparently getting a few blisters, but right at the start of the Bundesliga they meet a particularly highly rated rival: Bayer Leverkusen.
Julian Brandt, last season’s second-best BVB goalscorer with a modest nine goals after goal dominator Erling Haaland, openly addressed the BVB appendix on the matter. Tenor: Don’t worry! We have Malen, Adeyemi, Moukoko, and Marco Reus, and I’m still there too. However, Brandt is considered a particularly sunny, optimistic character. However, they would like to agree with him.