Borussia Dortmund must do all they can to sign Achraf Hakimi permanently

On loan full-back Achraf Hakimi has made a fantastic start to the season, and Borussia Dortmund must do all they can to make his signing permanent.

There is no doubt that Achraf Hakimi has been turning heads ever since his arrival at Borussia Dortmund. Currently set to return to Real Madrid at the end of the season it would be a real blow, if Der BVB aren’t able to at least put up a fight in trying to sign him on a permanent deal. The Moroccan international, who scored 3 goals and provided 7 assists in his debut season for the club, would truly strengthen the squad, especially due to the fact that club veteran Lukasz Piszczek is nearing the end of his time with the Black and Yellows.

Hakimi has a number of strengths but one of his greatest attributes which compliment the Dortmund squad really well is his versatility. He can play as both a left-back and right-back which is a massive trait as we have seen Dortmund’s defensive issues at the back, especially when it comes to injuries. Currently, both of Dortmund’s full-backs Niko Schulz and Lukasz Piszczek have been injured leaving only Raphael Guerreiro, Marcel Schmelzer or Achraf Hakimi to fill the gap. Without Hakimi, Favre would have to experiment with playing players out their positions or calling in younger and inexperienced players such as Mateu Morey (who is also just on his way back from injury).

Another valuable trait is his work rate. Full backs are very demanding positions which require you to mark and defend the opposition’s winger who are usually quick players. With doing this and also assisting in attack by making overlapping or underlapping runs and delivering crosses into the box it can be a very taxing role.

Hakimi has shown this in his past two seasons by not only defending but also going forward. He is an incredibly quick and athletic player who loves getting forward, closing defenders and taking on players. Combining with Sancho on the wings really compliments Borussia Dortmund’s playing style. His assist against Hannover in January is a prime example of what kind of a player he is.

Of course, there is absolutely no doubt that he has the potential to become one of the best full-backs in the world. CEO Hans Joachim Watzke stated last year that they would try and make the transfer permanent but as time went on it became highly unlikely. Hakimi himself said that he wanted to return to Real Madrid. He stated that if Real Madrid were to recall the Moroccan international he would say yes.

At this stage its not about Borussia trying keeping Hakimi happy. It’s about keeping Real Madrid happy. Since joining Borussia Dortmund, Hakimi’s market value has tripled. Currently worth around $34.2 million (around 31 million euros), there is no doubt that he would cost Dortmund a fortune. But it may be a fair price especially considering the fact that Jadon Sancho has been linked to big-money moves to various other clubs. Furthermore, we are coming to the end of the Piszczek era who has been occupying the right-back role for nearly 10 years. It may be time to start looking for a viable replacement.

But ultimately it all falls upon the shoulders of Michael Zorc who has made so many right deals for the club over the years. They also have a replacement in Mateo Morey who impressed in Dortmund’s preseason friendlies. Already with one goal and an assist in the current Bundesliga campaign, we can expect another fiery season from Achraf Hakimi. But if the club can somehow manage to prise him away from Real Madrid, it would sort out one full back position for years to come.