Back in January, when Borussia Dortmund were just hoping to reach the Champions League quarter-finals rather than the final, they attempted to bolster their season by moving for a series of young English-based players. You can imagine the profile, which has always been to source burgeoning talent with potential: the equivalent of a 2017 Jadon Sancho. Chelsea’s squad was of particular interest.
In other words, vintage Dortmund signings. Except, this time, the pitch that was successfully made to Jude Bellingham in 2020 didn’t work. Dortmund’s offer of more elite game-time to younger players is no longer so attractive. The evolution of both the transfer market and football tactics has meant that clubs like Manchester City and – yes – Real Madrid specifically aim for that profile of player. The omnipresence of pressing has ensured that even middle-of-the-table clubs need more of their younger talent to do the running.
In short, Dortmund have lost their unique selling point. The world around them has changed. This is now forcing Dortmund to change, in a move that many around the club feel has been too long coming.
A new club hierarchy is charged with defining a new identity. It is what makes this return to a Champions League final all the more unlikely since there is a disconnect running right through the institution. Dortmund’s worst team in a decade has reached the highest possible stage. A club that used to perpetually think about the future finally has a moment in the present again but amid widespread debate about what comes next. One of the youngest squads in the Champions League is now one of the oldest. They don’t even press in the way they used to.
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