Borussia Dortmund strengthen their squad with big signings

Dortmund has made a splash immediately after the conclusion of this year’s Bundesliga campaign with the signing of three of Germany’s most exciting players.

After blowing a nine-point lead in the title race and surrendering yet another Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich, Dortmund is doing everything possible to make sure this type of collapse doesn’t happen once again next season.

In a span of just a few days, Dortmund signed three quality players from fellow Bundesliga rivals. Nico Schulz will put on the black and yellow as he comes over from Hoffenheim and will provide some more solidity at left back.

Thorgan Hazard, who enjoyed a breakout campaign for Borussia Monchengladbach this term, will give Dortmund another exciting option in the final third next year. Lastly, German international Julian Brandt comes to Signal Iduna Park from Bayern Leverkusen where he served as one of their most lethal attackers this season.

To top all of these signings off, Dortmund also made Paco Alcacer’s loan spell from Barcelona a permanent one. The Spaniard was absolutely ruthless this year up front, bagging 18 goals in just 26 Bundesliga appearances.

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One of the best parts about these signings is that between all three, it only cost Dortmund in the range of 85 million euros which is quite reasonable.

Season after season for the last handful of years, Dortmund can never seem to outdo Bayern Munich at the top of the table. This campaign was their best chance at doing so if they didn’t finish the year in such a dismal form.

But with these signings, along with the top talent they already have on their squad, the 2019’/20 campaign could finally be a title-winning season for Dortmund.

A closer look at the three signings

Nico Schulz was a mainstay at left back for Hoffenheim this season while adding two goals and nine assists in 37 appearances across all competitions. The 26-year old is a world-class defender who currently serves as the starting left back for the German national team.

Schulz previously played under Lucien Favre at Hertha Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach so Favre knows exactly what the German defender brings to the table. He’s very quick on his feet and is very good at surging up the left flank and whipping balls into the box. Schulz ranked third in the Bundesliga this year with a total of 111 crosses from open play, per Bundesliga.com.

Thorgan Hazard, the younger brother of Chelsea star Eden, has seen steady improvement each season with Monchengladbach. This past campaign was his best to date since he began playing in Germany. The 26-year old bagged ten goals and collected ten assists in 34 appearances.

He’s a versatile player who has the ability to play on either flank which will help take the slack off of Jadon Sancho and Jacob Bruun Larsen, who both played a lot of minutes this season for Dortmund on the wings.

Hazard loves to sprint and once he gets going, it’s tough to catch him. He ranked fifth in the Bundesliga this year with 967 sprints. He’s a great playmaker and finisher who should fit right in with Lucien Favre’s side.

Julian Brandt was one of the best playmakers in the Bundesliga this season, finishing third with 11 assists. The 23-year old attacking midfielder also bagged seven goals for Leverkusen as he formed a spectacular partnership with German sensation Kai Havertz, who scored 17 goals.

Brandt is one of the most exciting young players in Germany who will be the right man to fuel the Dortmund attack on all cylinders. He can play out wide, or in the middle behind the striker. With a strong 6 foot 1 frame, Brandt is blessed with presence along with a special eye for picking out assists.

Pair these skills with lightning-quick speed and you have a very complete attacker who is lethal in the final third. The scary part is that he hasn’t even hit his prime yet. It’s going to be exciting to watch the German international star flourish in a Dortmund uniform.

Dortmund are in good hands

Dortmund has had a small taste of success and it’s clear they want more of it. These signings are a prime example of their desire to be the top club in Germany for many years to come. With Bayern Munich legends Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben leaving the club, it will be interesting to see if the current title-holders can muster up enough signings to compete with Dortmund next year.

With the current squad Borussia Dortmund has though, Lucien Favre and company should be very optimistic about how much damage this team can do against German competition in 2019/20.