Bartłomiej Drągowski: The heir to the number one shirt at Borussia Dortmund?
Borussia Dortmund are said to be interested in signing a new first-choice goalkeeper this summer. One of the many names linked is Fiorentina shot stopper Bartłomiej Drągowski.
The start to the Rückrunde for Borussia Dortmund has been nothing short of a non-stop, gut wrenching roller coaster ride for the team and fans alike. Having started off brightly with wins against the likes of Wolfsburg and Leipzig, the hinges came off of Dortmund’s title aspirations with an underwhelming draw against Mainz and defeats to Leverkusen and Gladbach respectively. Over that period, Dortmund shipped a total of 7 goals, which made for an even more infuriating watch by the manner in which they were conceded. Dortmund then seemed to stabilize the ship for a short while, with wins against Augsburg and Paderborn in the DFB-Pokal bringing some respite from the disappointment. But a subsequent loss to Freiburg and draw against Hoffenheim provided for additional stumbling blocks.
Borussia Dortmund have since managed to pull off some inspired victories against Sevilla and Schalke, which have seemingly reinvigorated the squad, and poised them for what will be a hard push for a top four place. One might think It’s almost a shock that Dortmund find themselves in this position at this stage of the season, but it is far from shocking because the reasons for it are all too plentiful and clear. From shoddy defending, to injuries, to lack of depth in key positions, and the sudden inability of chances to finish off clear chances, or sometimes even create them, Dortmund have been misfiring from all cylinders at times since the turn of the year.
Because of their current sputtering form, rumors of a massive reboot to the squad come the summer transfer window have sprung to life quite strongly, and none more so than in the goalkeeper department. Current number one Roman Bürki has had a season to forget, while second-choice goalkeeper Marwin Hitz has signed a contract extension. Many options have already been voiced as potential replacements, with the likes of André Onana, Péter Gulácsi and even Wojciech Szczęsny being mentioned. Each one comes with their own positive qualities, level of feasibility and complications, but one name that seems to be a solid, uncomplicated fit is Bartłomiej Drągowski.
Drągowski currently plies his trade between the posts for Fiorentina in the Serie A. Concrete links between Borussia Dortmund and the Poland international surfaced when his agent, Mariusz Kulesza provided the following comments to Fiorentina News earlier this month:
“As you well know, anything is possible in football…We’ll see what happens.”
In only a few words, Kulesza sparked further interest in the player and has now made him one of the favorites among fans to line up between the sticks for Dortmund next season. The main question is, who is Drągowski and is he really a firm upgrade over Roman Bürki?