Youssoufa Moukoko: What is best for the Borussia Dortmund striker’s development?

Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko has been in the spotlight for the last week due to comments made by his agent.

Youssoufa Moukoko may be a very young player, but he is very much used to being in the media spotlight. The 17 year old German youth international has been one of the most talked about young prodigies of the last few years. His scoring exploits at youth level for Borussia Dortmund have been immense. A change in German FA regulations back in 2020 allowed Moukoko to make his professional debut for the club in just one day after his 16th birthday. The decision was hailed by club legend Lars Ricken, who heads up Dortmund’s youth performance center:

"“We are very pleased with this decision. This could help the clubs but also the young players in their development. A majority of the clubs want to be able to give outstanding talents, on very rare occasions, the chance to take the next step in their development.” – Lars Ricken, Kicker"

In many ways, moving to the first team seemed like the logical next step for Moukoko, who seemed to be far ahead of his peers in terms of his footballing ability. And yet, since making the jump to the senior level, Moukoko hasn’t hit the heights that perhaps some might have expected. In his debut season, Moukoko only scored 3 goals in 14 matches, a tally that is very impressive for a player of his age. But unsurprisingly nowhere near his incredible goalscoring numbers at the youth level.

The reasons for this are varied. For one, the transition to senior football isn’t always seamless, even for the most talented of players. There is an adjustment period that is sometimes necessary. There is also having a striker the likes of Erling Haaland to contend with. You would be hard pressed to find a player in the world who could take significant minutes off of the prolific Norwegian when fully fit. Furthermore, Moukoko has dealt with significant injuries since the final third of last season, which have also put a damper on his chances for minutes. All these factors culminate to create difficult circumstances for any player, let alone one as young as Moukoko.

These circumstances have allegedly put Moukoko and his agent Patrick Williams in a reflective mood, at least according to Bild. In a recent interview, Williams stated that:

"“Yes, he has always been set back a bit by injuries this season. Yes, the competition at BVB is great, of course…but he hardly gets the playing time he needs at this stage of his career at Dortmund. So of course we’re thinking about what’s best for his future.” Patrick Williams, Bild"

The comments themselves at first seemed rather alarming, as if consideration was being given to whether Moukoko’s future would lie in Black and Yellow, but in that same interview, Williams did indeed say that Moukoko felt comfortable in Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund incumbent Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl responded to the comments by saying that Dortmund hold the player in high regard and will look to extend his contract soon.

"“Youssoufa is a talent from our own youth academy, but unfortunately he has rarely been available to us for an extended length of time since the summer due to various injuries. That doesn’t change our high regard for him” – Sebastian Kehl, Bild"

The comments made by Moukoko’s agent have of course been taken out of context by a certain portion of the media and posed as a warning for the club, which of course is absolute nonsense. They do however breathe life into the question of just what really is best for the player’s development at this time. Let me be the first to tell you that a move to Manchester United, Real Madrid, etc isn’t it.

What’s best for Youssoufa Moukoko’s development at Borussia Dortmund?

Moukoko finds himself in a tricky situation. As already mentioned, he’s proven himself to be far too good to remain at youth level, but hasn’t yet been able to make a lasting impact for the senior squad. The highly rated striker of course needs to be challenged to grow. On the other hand, that challenge can’t be framed as leading the attack for one of Germany’s biggest clubs. There are many stories in football that forewarn of too much pressure being put on the shoulders of young players only to have them flounder into obscurity shortly thereafter.

Dortmund have so far taken a conservative approach when it comes to Moukoko. Aside from the handful of games he was haphazardly thrown onto the pitch when the team looked like a sinking ship, his minutes have been managed to make sure he is not responsible for being the primary difference maker for his side.

With Erling Haaland leading the line, there hasn’t been a need to throw him in the deep end as much, and he’s played with the second team as well when fit in recent weeks, making sure that he is getting playing time. Moukoko scored his first goal for the U-23s this past weekend in the 2-2 draw against VfL Osnabrück.

As he gets older however, the external pressure will be on the club to give him more minutes. From the standpoint of the player, getting as many minutes as possible is a priority at the moment. This season, Haaland is sure to take up most of the minutes on the pitch, whenever fit. I think it would be in Moukoko’s and Dortmund’s interest to see what happens with Haaland in the summer before committing to a decision on Moukoko’s immediate and short-term future.

The club are still absolutely planning for the future with Moukoko, and a contract extension will be in the offing before long. But a loan away in the event Haaland leaves and a new striker is brought in could give Moukoko his first taste of an extended run at the senior level. Alternatively, the player could stay and fight for minutes at Dortmund but this could potentially mean a lot less minutes on the pitch than he would maybe like.

As has already been mentioned, Moukoko has not been able to get a real opportunity on the pitch this season. Injuries have hampered his progress on a number of occasions, and his minutes on the pitch have had to be managed as a result. And those injuries have also prevented him from getting the playing time and experience that he needs to grow at this level.

It is important that Borussia Dortmund find the right balance between giving Moukoko the playing time he needs and ensuring that they do not put too much pressure on his shoulders just yet. So the BVB bosses face a tough decision on whether to loan him out to another club or keep him in Dortmund even though he may not get as much playing time.

It does look likely that he will have his chance to prove otherwise to the club in the coming weeks. With Haaland likely out against Leverkusen, Moukoko may get his opportunity to impress up front and make an impact. Moukoko is still only 17, and it is important for everyone to remember that not to put too much pressure on him just yet. He has the ability and potential to make a substantial impact for the first team. And there is every chance that he will make his breakthrough before long.