Borussia Dortmund’s Managing Director, Michael Zorc, has said that the club will not sign a backup striker in this transfer window.
Before losing Paco Alcácer to Villareal in last season’s January transfer window, Borussia Dortmund signed Erling Haaland. It’s fair to say that the Norwegian has done well to fill in for Alcácer. Haaland is only 20-years-old and yet is regarded as one of the best strikers in Europe.
With Haaland leading the line, Dortmund rarely struggles to find the back of the net. However, when Haaland gets injured, there is a serious lack of attacking threat which the team suffers from. The perfect examples to display Dortmund’s lack of goal threat were the games against Hertha Berlin and Fortuna Dusseldorf in June. Although Dortmund won both games (one thanks to a late substitute appearance by Haaland), the absence of attacking inspiration was heavily evident throughout the games.
Now that Mario Gotze has left the club, Dortmund are left with practically no second-choice striker. Lucien Favre often tries to fill the gap through Thorgan Hazard, and although he may have done a commendable job to fill in, he is not the ideal solution for every time that Haaland can’t play.
Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club’s purchasing power has taken a serious hit. This could be one of the major reasons why Dortmund are unwilling to spend on a player who may not get sufficient playing time. Further, the development of Youssoufa Moukoko is considered encouraging enough not to sign a backup. Moukoko is still only 15 years of age and has a long way to go in terms of career growth. So it is important to stay wary of the excessive expectations placed on his shoulder.