The Hive: How should Borussia Dortmund engineer their summer overhaul?

Austin Weldon

It’s hard to find the line between what I think Dortmund need to address in the summer and the reality of what is likely to be done by those in charge. Watzke and Zorc are heading into a crucial summer that will shape the future of Borussia Dortmund. If successful, Dortmund could be capable of re-establishing themselves as the second-best team in Germany. Or they could continue to struggle and fall into mediocrity.

Here is a look at the players I believe need to leave BVB in the summer to get back to the level they need to be at:

Players on their way out:

Erik Durm – Klopp Switching Durm to full-back a few years back looked like a stroke of genius as he established himself as a very reliable player with a very promising future. However, he’s just been too injury prone over recent years and can’t be counted on to play any sort of role.

Sebastian Rode – There isn’t much to be said here, infrequent and inconsistent performances meant Rode never worked out at BVB. Time to end this experiment.

Gonzalo Castro – Castro is a decent enough midfielder, and at times can be great. However, when he is not great, he is terrible. Unfortunately just not the type of player BVB need right now and at 30 years of age it’s not likely to get any better any time soon.

Sokratis – The expected leader of a woefully inconsistent defense Sokratis just doesn’t have what it takes to command the back line. He is an absolutely exceptional one on one defender, one of the very best in the world. But one-on-one defending and tackling isn’t everything and a complete defender needs to be brought in. Sokratis is the most expendable as well as the one who will fetch the highest transfer fee.

Andriy Yarmolenko – Clear failure, didn’t work out at all. Moving on.

Honorable mentions: Nuri Sahin and Marcel Schmelzer should probably be among the players leaving Borussia Dortmund in the summer. However, with their long ties to the club, it is unlikely they leave.

Players to be brought in:

Mitchell Weiser – Bundesliga-proven reliable RB with great upside.

Philipp Max – Having a great year at Augsburg and is well worth a look at. One of the many positions in dire need of a serious upgrade.

Benjamin Pavard – What a player in the making. He’s going to be worth triple what anyone pays for him now in a few years. Pavard would be a great addition to a very promising prospect pool of CBs and he is ready to start week-in-week-out at a team of Dortmund’s level.

Lukas Hradecky – With Roman Weidenfeller retiring at the end of the year Hradecky is a strong Bundesliga quality keeper who is available on a free in the summer. Would give Roman Burki the much-needed competition for the starting spot.

Sebastian Rudy/Mateo Kovacic – Both of these players are unfortunately unlikely but either one would be exceptional additions to a struggling midfield

Michy Batshuayi – Pay Chelsea, end of story. His social media game alone is worth the extra money they’ll want in the transfer. Jokes aside, he’s integrated perfectly and will cost too much but it needs to be done.