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What will new signing Niklas Süle bring to Borussia Dortmund?

By Brian Szlenk Straub

MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 05: Niklas Suele of Munich controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern München and RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on February 05, 2022 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Markus Gilliar/GES-Sportfoto via Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 05: Niklas Suele of Munich controls the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern München and RB Leipzig at Allianz Arena on February 05, 2022 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Markus Gilliar/GES-Sportfoto via Getty Images) /
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Niklas Süle (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Niklas Süle (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /

What Niklas Süle will bring to the Borussia Dortmund defence

Niklas Süle’s signing for Borussia Dortmund, as we’ve mentioned, is very much a sign of intent from the club. The Dortmund hierarchy are finally looking to address a problem that has been a chronic achilles heel for this side, particularly this season. With Manuel Akanji’s future still uncertain, Süle’s signing carries even more weight than initially might have been assumed.

With so much potentially hinging on Süle’s signing and his future contribution to the side, it’s important to look at just what Süle can offer for the Borussia Dortmund defense and overall game moving forward. In terms of the positives, Dortmund are getting a proven, physically strong, Bundesliga defender who has played at the top level for one of, if not the strongest team in the world over the last few years.

Furthermore, Süle’s stats over the last year show him to be one of the most proficient passers among center backs in the top 5 leagues. With an impressive pass success percentage of 91% per 90 minutes overall, Süle is clearly quite good when it comes to getting the ball to his teammates. He also averages 5.25 progressive passes per 90, which shows that he is very much involved in Bayern’s play going forward. These numbers could help assuage any of the reverberations from a potential Akanji exit, as the Swiss international also has an eye for a progressive pass and holds an identical pass success percentage of 91% per 90.

In addition to Süle’s physicality and his ability to pass the ball forward, for someone who measures a towering 1,95 meters tall, he certainly has some pace to burn. The German international was Bayern’s 6th fastest player of the Hinrunde, only slightly behind fellow center backs Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Hernandez.

Pace is something Dortmund have desperately lacked in defense as of late. Mats Hummels has shown that in his older age he is not always capable of putting on the afterburners and chasing down pacier opposition that look to break on the counter against Dortmund. With Dortmund often playing a high line these days, having a strong and quick option at the back is only a plus.

In terms of the negatives, there’s only one that comes to mind, and that would be Süle’s injury history. Süle ruptured his cruciate ligament in the 2019/20 season that kept him out for 182 days (25 matches). He’s since had subsequent injuries that on their own don’t look all too worrying, but seemed to have piled up over the years. It’s less a worry of Süle being able to maintain his own fitness, but Dortmund’s ability to cope with these injuries and to be able to properly make sure any potential time on the sidelines is short and minimally invasive when it comes to the club’s prospects.