Why the time is perfect for Aubameyang to leave Borussia Dortmund

As a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang departure from BVB seems more like a reality as each day passes, the timing of such a loss could not be better. “Auba” has become a constant migraine for the club. The reigning Torjäger of the Bundesliga has acted more like an eight year old than his age of 28. Having missed more games due to suspension than to injury during his time in the Ruhr, it is time to wave goodbye to “Batman.”

To say that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has not contributed greatly to the success of Borussia Dortmund these past four years would be pure ignorance. No, he is not the most technically-gifted striker in the world, but his pace and knack for finding space more than makes up for it.

I myself have called him “captain tap-in” on many an occasion. That being said, a goal is a goal, they all count the same. This is not about whether or not Auba is a “great” striker. That will likely be debated for years. This is about BVB being able to sustain such a loss to their roster and still attain a top-four league finish.

The current youth movement at Dortmund is a breath of fresh air. Seeing players like Jadon Sancho and Alexander Isak being called into league action will quickly reveal whether or not those players have a long-term future at the club.

The downside to this is, no matter how well they play, there is a zero percent chance of them replacing Aubameyang’s goal production this season. Why this is not as big of a concern as it has been in years past stems from the quality of the league itself in 2018.

The Bundesliga is having one its most unproductive seasons in recent memory. It’s representatives have been terrible in both the Champions League and the Europa League during this campaign. Domestically, the race for the Champions League places could not be tighter. Bayern wrapped up the league back in November, sadly, but positions two through eight are wide open. The level of inconsistency between the top teams this season has been staggering.

Borussia Dortmund went through a period in which they were winless in eight consecutive league matches. Yet, they were able to finish the Hinrunde in third place. That is both unprecedented and sad at the same time.

The German top flight is a slot machine each week, with a large number of teams capable of switching positions in the table. Of those teams, Dortmund still have the most talented roster, even without Aubameyang.

MARBELLA, SPAIN – JANUARY 06: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund has his first training session during the training camp at the Estadio Municipal de Marbella on January 06, 2018 in Marbella, Spain. (Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images) /

Dortmund’s overall quality will mask Aubameyang loss

BVB field perhaps the best central attacking midfielder in the league with Mario Götze. The wings are a mixed bag at the moment with young American phenom Christian Pulisic managing one side, while the out-of-form Andriy Yarmolenko occupies the other.

Let us not forget, Dortmund’s best player, Marco Reus, is set to return next month. Isak and Sancho are far from Bundesliga-regulars, but manager Peter Stöger is doing the right thing by giving them this experience with the first team.

Currently Marcel Schmelzer and Raphael Guerreiro are both out with minor injuries, though both will return to the pitch in the coming weeks. Additionally, Dortmund recently welcomed defensive stalwart Lukasz Piszczek back into the lineup.

This coupled with a midfield that outside of Götze includes Shinji Kagawa, Mahmoud Dahoud, Gonzalo Castro, Nuri Sahin, and Julian Weigl, and it is safe to say that based on experience and quality, BVB should have little to fear from most of the teams who surround them at the top of the table.

There are sides who feature better quality at individual positions over BVB such as Leverkusen’s Kevin Volland, Leipzig’s Timo Werner and Naby Keita, or ‘Gladbach’s Lars Stindl. However, there is no team outside of Bayern Munich that fields a better weekly starting XI than Borussia Dortmund, even without Aubameyang.

The unstable play of other top German clubs and their lack of roster quality in comparison to Borussia Dortmund, is precisely why Die Schwarz-Gelben can afford to part ways with the Gabon international. Most teams are stuck with their current roster until the summer transfer window. If I am BVB, I will take these odds as the 2017-18 season approaches the business end.

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If things have not worked out with Alexander Isak as a viable option at striker, (although I still think Dortmund will purchase a short-term Aubameyang replacement before the end of January) they will have plenty of time to sort things out in the summer months before the start of the 2018-19 season.

Dortmund will almost certainly not go eight match days without a league win in the Rückrunde and should have a much more stable operation on the pitch under Stöger than under Peter Bosz. All BVB must do is finish in the top four to once again return to the Königsklasse, aka, the Champions League. This after all, was the primary goal for 2017-18 to begin with.

No one could have anticipated a Bundesliga with so few “good” teams, including at times, Borussia Dortmund. And yet, BVB have been fortunate to still be in the mix at the top of the table. This, despite going through a management change, a two-month winless period, and an embarrassing exit from the Champions League.

If the Black and Yellows can persevere through all of that and still maintain their standing in the league, then the absence of the increasingly immature Aubameyang will do little further harm. Aubameyang’s value will only decline from this point moving forward as he approaches the age of 30. With the current state of the league and Auba’s frustrating behavior, the time to sell is now.

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