Borussia Dortmund News Roundup: Dembele and Toljan

Borussia Dortmund executives suspend Dembele indefinitely

Ousmane Dembele has been the talk of the town within the last week. Last Thursday, Borussia Dortmund rejected a massive offer from FC Barcelona for the youngster. Not long after, it seems, Dembele failed to report to training. You can read about all the details of him going AWOL here.

At the time, the Dortmund staff temporarily suspended the French international from training. Now the Dortmund executives look to be putting their foot down on the matter.

Stated in an official club announcement, Ousmane is suspended until further notice for his behavior trying to force a move. Dortmund CEO Watzke, sporting director Michael Zorc, and manager Peter Bosz met together after Der BVB’s DFB Pokal triumph over Rielasingen on Saturday to discuss the matter.

The Catalan super club has been courting the winger as a possible replacement after their Brazilian superstar’s transfer to Paris. However, upper management in Dortmund doesn’t want to budge in their stance of not selling the young star. Watzke’s stance against Barcelona should be applauded. Playing hardball like this is a step down the right path that leads to no longer being branded as a selling club.

That may have to change if behavior like this continues to come from young Dembele.

Transfer rumor: Jeremy Toljan on his way to Dortmund?

The rumor mill is at it again. This time, 23-year-old fullback Jeremy Toljan from Hoffenheim has been linked to Dortmund. Toljan’s 20 total appearances in the Bundesliga last season helped his club finish 4th, ending a rather successful season for Hoffenheim. His resume includes being in the Germany squad that won the silver medal in the 2016 Olympics, as well as the German side that won the U21 Euro championship this past summer.

The right-back position is lacking depth, and could use a bolster with this signing. Lukasz Piszczek isn’t getting any younger, and Felix Passlack is good, but still lacks experience. Dortmund is known for turning into a hospital halfway through the season. Extra names on the roster can’t hurt.

Toljan could also be deployed on the left side as well. With all three of Borussia Dortmund’s left-backs out injured, Zagadou has been forced to play out of his natural position and inexperienced youth academy player Jan-Niklas Beste has also taken the reigns. While he impressed with a good performance against Rielasingen on Saturday, we must keep in mind that they were an amateur side.

I would have listed Park Joo-Ho as a current fullback, but I don’t think anyone knows what’s happening with him.

Is a transfer likely?

Even with rumors linking the fullback to Dortmund, I wouldn’t take them too seriously. Buying him would be a logical move for the Black and Yellows’ depth chart. The problem is there haven’t been any reputable news sources that can confirm any truth in the rumors. His price tag would be around €15m, which is a bit too high considering they’ve purchased players like Dembele for that same amount.

The team decision makers have also commented that the squad might be a bit too large. They’re not exactly in the hunt to sign more players. Personally, I think that’s an unwise decision, as the squad usually sustains many injuries over the course of the season. We’ll just have to sit tight and wait and see.

Just a few more days…

Are you excited as I am? Bundesliga action returns this Saturday! Get ready to cheer on our boys as they battle against Wolfsburg!

Heja BVB!