Dortmund's Failure in Replacing Their Departed Stars

The transfer activity of Borussia Dortmund has in the past been looked upon by other clubs with envy as die Schwarzgelben brought in young talent who eventually either became superstars at the Signal Iduna Park or moved on elsewhere for a hefty fee. However, despite the previous success in the transfer market, the recent activity of the club, especially in the last 18 months, has been questioned.

Over the past 18 months or so Dortmund haven't brought in the right type of players to replace those who have left and on Saturday in their 6-0 defeat to Bayern, the lack of quality in the side was very evident to see. Players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mats Hummels and Ousmane Dembele have not been replaced correctly and due to their poor recruitment Dortmund now find themselves battling for a place in next season's Champions League instead of challenging for the title.

Let's begin with Mario Götze, who's return was met with optimism from the fans as their hero returned from his disappointing spell at Bayern just as Henrikh Mkhitaryan departed to Manchester United. Götze's first season back at the club was disrupted by personal issues as the player was diagnosed with a rare metabolic disturbance which sidelined him for the majority of the season. However, since recovering from the injury the German international has shown signs of the player that we saw break through the ranks and become a global sensation back 2010. This season Götze has played a whole host of games, but for the most part the little playmaker has looked a shadow of his former self, and certainly thus far has not been able to fill the boots left by Mkhitaryan.

Another player yet to convince the Dortmund faithful is Andriy Yarmolenko. The Ukrainian was brought in by Peter Bosz in the summer following the departure of Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona. Dortmund paid £25m for Yarmolenko in the hopes that the Ukraninan would hit the ground running just like Dembele had the previous campaign, however since arriving at the club the forward has been nothing short of disappointing.

A completely different player to Dembele, Yarmolenko is slow and mostly relies on his crossing ability and skill to beat a player. Very early on in the season it became clear that Yarmolenko was not a Dortmund player as he struggled to adapt to the side's quick counter attacking style of play. Injury has plagued the Ukrainian since the turn of the year and given the fact that Christian Pulisic is first choice on the right, the big Ukrainian could well be out the door come the summer.

Since the departure of Mats Hummels back in 2016, die Schwarzgelben have struggled to find a replacement for the World Cup winner and after reviewing Omer Toprak's first few months at the club it still seems as though that the search for Hummels' replacement will continue. Signed from Bayer Leverkusen, Toprak has played in the Bundesliga for nearly ten years now, but despite his longevity he has never been regarded as a top centre back.

This season, Toprak has shown on many an occasion that he is simply not up to the standard required at the club and therefore a change is needed in the summer, with Ajax's Matthijs de Ligt said to be on the club's radar.

The transfer activity over the past few years simply hasn't been good enough for Dortmund, and a massive improvement is needed if they are to fulfill their ambition of winning the league for the first time since 2013.