Should Borussia Dortmund look to replace Raphaël Guerreiro with David Raum?

Final Thoughts

With the stats being relatively close across the board, allowing Raphaël Guerreiro to leave and signing David Raum seems at face value as if the club would not be making much of a change at all. Both players’ games are heavily based on their attacking output while remaining suspect defensively. There are areas where Raum does indeed have the edge over Guerreiro; areas that of course have become part of what makes up Borussia Dortmund’s Achilles heel. The numbers don’t suggest that he edges him by a significant amount however.

Numbers alone can’t be the metric that defines this decision however. Raum has proven to be a player who is very energetic, able to sprint and put a lot of energy into his game, which is something that Guerreiro’s game, and Dortmund’s game as a whole, is missing at times. This energy and aggression could prove to be a difference maker, should Dortmund choose to sign Raum.

While it has been suggested that Raum’s signing is dependent on Guerreiro’s departure, there is also a scenario where Borussia Dortmund could manage to keep both. Guerreiro’s play going forward has been exemplary at times and he may benefit from playing a more advanced role. He certainly has the football IQ and skill to fit the role.

But the two question marks surrounding this would be – would he be willing to play in a more advanced role permanently and would he be able to stay fit enough to make an impact in this role? Both are glaring questions as Guerreiro plays at left back for Portugal and this sort of change in position may alter his prospects of getting into his national team’s starting XI, which would make him less likely to want to take on this role full time. This, coupled with his injury history may see him leave should the club pursue a move for another left-back, making the aforementioned scenario of retaining the services of both Guerreiro and Raum unlikely.

It would undoubtedly be sad to see Guerreiro go as he has become a fan favorite and on his day does an impeccable job when going forward. In signing Raum however, the main upsides for Borussia Dortmund would be the fact that they are getting a German international who is younger than Guerreiro (24) and plays a very similar role with a similarly exemplary offensive output. It remains to be seen if Dortmund will indeed take the opportunity to sign Raum, as sales would have to occur prior, but in the event that he does join, Dortmund would be getting someone who could potentially become a key player in their squad for years to come.