Does Julian Weigl have a future at Borussia Dortmund?

There is a lot of talk about Christian Pulisic’s playtime at Borussia Dortmund recently. Compare it to Julian Weigl’s time this season and it is a sad sight. Weigl is only 23 years old, but a transfer should be considered for the defensive midfielder.

Borussia Dortmund’s replacement for Nuri Sahin

Julian Weigl started his senior career at BVB when current PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel took over for Jurgen Klopp. Tuchel’s style involved Weigl as an anchor of sorts. He dictated the attack from the midfield and played box-to-box in the possession based style.

He impressed so much that he earned five call-ups for the German national team. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been picked for Die Mannschaft March 2017. Simply put, there are more active players eligible for the call than Weigl.

On the plus side, Weigl nailed a starting XI role more often than not. Weigl was often vital as his vision and shielding of the ball allowed his teammates to get in open space. No player is perfect, but the defensive midfielder played well on any given match day.

Transfer Market Casualty

Heading into the current season, there was no opportunity for Weigl to get more play time. The arrivals of Axel Witsel and Thomas Delaney left him on the bench. This doesn’t account for the slightly inflated team.

Lucien Favre is working with a 29 man squad currently, six have yet to play on the senior squad this season (as of this writing), three of those are midfielders and Favre’s options are already extensive for his tactical style. He has a stacked midfield and there is not a lot of room for Weigl to wiggle in.

Performances like the ones against Bayern haven’t helped his cause. So far he has made just six appearances for the side and he was hooked at half time two weeks ago against Bayern. There have also been suggestions that he is simply not suited to Favre’s style of play. Playing in a two man midfield, he is often isolated and his lack of physicality and movement make it hard for him to have a similar impact.

Options in January

Weigl may consider a move in January to get more play time. A loan move isn’t a bad option either. At this stage of his career, Weigl needs to play, and that will not happen at Borussia Dortmund unless Axel Witsel or Thomas Delaney suffer injuries. It is unlikely that he will be allowed to leave in January as Borussia Dortmund want to keep hold of their players for their title bid. But if his situation does not improve, a summer transfer might be the best solution for both parties.

Favre announced no injury problems for the upcoming match against Mainz. Those are three words I have waited to hear for a long time. Yet, it brings to light that one of my favorite midfielders isn’t finding enough time in Black and Yellow. With eight games coming up in the next four weeks, hopefully Weigl will get another chance to stake a claim for a regular starting berth in the team.