Borussia Dortmund must keep the faith in Marco Reus
By Critty Smith
Marco Reus’ absence from the squad hit an all-time high this season as he has yet to play a game in 2017-18. But Borussia Dortmund have no reason to even think about selling their star man.
Without question, Marco Reus is a phenomenal player for both club and country, when he plays. The whole “playing” part has become a little less frequent over the past four years however.
I will go a step further and say that Reus is in fact Borussia Dortmund’s best player, when he plays. It should also be noted that he is one of the very few who stayed when leaving would have been the easier choice.
At 28 years of age, with his contract set to expire at the end of the 2018-19 season, what decision will the player and club opt for? Better yet, what is best for each of those entities? Reus will be 30 when he becomes a free agent (should he not renew with BVB).
A decision for Dortmund becomes increasingly more difficult when you consider that Reus’ suspected replacement, Maxi Philipp also severely injured his knee earlier this season. Philipp is a of course younger than Reus, but speaking from personal experience, you are never the same after a knee injury in many cases.
During the past four seasons Marco Reus has missed a total of 88 out of 183 Pflichtspiele (competitive games) for Borussia Dortmund. That number spans all competitions. When your second-most expensive player misses 48% of the club’s matches over a four year span, does it make sense to keep him?
The below chart shows the past four seasons for Marco Reus and the number of matches he has missed in each of those:
The table makes for grim reading, but if Marco Reus can get over his injury curse, he still has a good few years left in him.
Reus, unlike others such as Mario Götze, Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels, Henrikh Mkhitarian, and Ilkay Gundogan has remained loyal to BVB through thick and thin. His love for Die Schwarz-Gelben is not in question.
Will Reus extend his Borussia Dortmund contract?
In a recent interview with GQ magazine, the player hinted at the possibility of leaving Dortmund in the spring of 2019. Perhaps a new start for him elsewhere would do him well. He did not however, allude to which clubs he may be interested in.
There is no doubt, that when on the pitch, Marco Reus is the undisputed king of The Black and Yellows. He is a game-changing winger who has the ability to dribble, pass, or shoot his team to victory.
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As Reus gets closer to his return to action, Borussia Dortmund face a tricky decision, whether to renew his contract or look to sell with just an year left in his deal. The latter would be terrible business for Watzke and company.
On the horizon for Borussia Dortmund there lies an interesting and important decision: Keep him or let him go? Are cheaper and healthier options available at left-wing? Sure, but few with more ability. Even fewer who are world class game changers.
When it comes to Marco Reus, there will perhaps never be a more loyal or beloved player at Borussia Dortmund. With roughly a year to go for Marco’s contract to expire at BVB as it currently stands, Borussia Dortmund must make it a priority to get him to renew and hope that his injury woes are behind him.