Borussia Dortmund reportedly interested in signing Konstantinos Mavropanos
Borussia Dortmund are said to be interested in signing Arsenal centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos, who plays on loan at VfB Stuttgart.
Defensive reinforcements seem to be a hot topic at Borussia Dortmund at the moment. Having already been linked with SC Freiburg’s Nico Schlotterbeck, BILD are now reporting that Dortmund may be eyeing a move for VfB Stuttgart’s Konstantinos Mavropanos.
It may come as a shock that Dortmund aren’t eyeing an attacker for once, but don’t be fooled by Mavropanos – the Greek centre-back is more than capable of scoring goals. He currently sits as Stuttgart’s top scorer with 5 goals to his name, impressive for a centre-back to say the least.
On the defensive end of things, (which is no doubt the end Dortmund will be taking into account), Mavropanos is all about physicality, fight, and a surprising amount of pace. His stats illustrate the picture of a player who likes to get into the thick of the action. He has been responsible for (on average) 8.2 pressures, 2.5 tackles, 2.7 interceptions and 2.9 blocks per game.
These stats measure up pretty well when compared to the aforementioned Schlotterbeck, with the German exceeding in pressures but falling short of Mavropanos when it comes to blocks, clearances and aerial duels won. For me, it’s always a good sign when a player is good in the air, especially when it comes to Dortmund, as the team remain susceptible from set pieces.
Mavropanos is currently only on loan at Stuttgart, but the Swabians do have the option to sign him from Arsenal in the summer for a fee of three million euros. BILD claim that a move for Mavropanos would cost Borussia Dortmund 25 million euros. They also add that the Black and Yellows were also interested in the centre-back in 2018, before eventually deciding to sign Manuel Akanji.
Much like the Schlotterbeck links, rumors linking Dortmund to Mavropanos have probably arisen due to the uncertainty surrounding their current centre-back situation.
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Marin Pongračić, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Manuel Akanji all have doubts surrounding their futures at Dortmund for a variety of reasons. Pongračić, so far, hasn’t been putting in the performances required to keep his place in the starting XI. Zagadou has it all to do to prove he can remain fit for an extended period of time to earn a contract extension and Akanji’s contract situation is still up in the air.