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Borussia Dortmund’s summer transfers so far

By Griffin Wesche

BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 20: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (L), CEO of FC Bayern Muenchen talks to Hans Joachim Watzke, CEO of Borussia Dortmund during the DFB Cup Final 2016 Gala Evening at Intercontinenal Hotel Berlin on May 20, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 20: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (L), CEO of FC Bayern Muenchen talks to Hans Joachim Watzke, CEO of Borussia Dortmund during the DFB Cup Final 2016 Gala Evening at Intercontinenal Hotel Berlin on May 20, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images) /
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BERLIN, GERMANY – APRIL 20: Ilkay Gündogan of Dortmund in action during the DFB Cup semi final match between Hertha BSC Berlin and Borussia Dortmund at the Olympic stadium on April 20, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Bongarts/Getty Images)
BERLIN, GERMANY – APRIL 20: Ilkay Gündogan of Dortmund in action during the DFB Cup semi final match between Hertha BSC Berlin and Borussia Dortmund at the Olympic stadium on April 20, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

DEPARTURE: Ilkay Gundogan

The transfer of Gundogan is an interesting one. When healthy, he is as good as any defensive mid in the game today. He has a mind for the defensive aspects of the game, commonly being used in a defensive midfield position in Dortmund’s 4-2-3-1 formation. More often than not his role is to be Dortmund’s first line of defense.

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Although he doesn’t score goals very often he integrates well into attacking positions. He is more than capable of pushing the ball up the pitch and making incisive passes to create scoring chances. He is a tremendous asset for any team, however at the price Manchester City paid for him some fans may be concerned with his injury history. He missed the entire season of 2013-2014 with a spinal compression injury, rebounding well after this injury to have a fairly stable 2014-2015 season.

He was again seen on the sidelines for a significant stretch in 2015-2016 as he missed a month in the second half of the season with a foot injury. After recovering from the foot injury, he suffered a knee injury that will see him sitting out at the beginning on the 2016-2017 season.

Gundogan had been linked with clubs since the summer window of last year so seeing him move on is not a huge surprise. One thing is certain though, he made quite an impression on former Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola, as Gundogan was his first transfer with the club. Manchester City paid a total of 27 million Euros for Gundogan. While Gundogan will be missed, Dortmund has several players that poses the skills to fill in. The next player however, will be much tougher to replace.

Next: Departure: Henrikh Mkhitaryan

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