Anthony Modeste wants to be a mentor for Youssoufa Moukoko

Borussia Dortmund new signing Anthony Modeste is set on being a mentor for young striker Youssoufa Moukoko after the club announced his signing from FC Köln.

Borussia Dortmund’s hunt for a striker to cover for Sébastien Haller’s temporary absence has come to an eventful end, with the club announcing the signing of FC Köln’s Anthony Modeste. The 34 year old Frenchman has been linked with the club for some time now, and brings the type of profile to the striker position that the club have not seen in some time, especially when it comes to his aerial threat.

Sebastian Kehl had a few words to say about Modeste’s signing, indicating that negotiations were far from a walk in the park. The Borussia Dortmund sporting director also added that he expects Modeste’s integration period to be a brief one, with the expectation being that the player will be able to hit the ground running with his new club:

"“We get a player who knows the Bundesliga very well, who is a good guy, who is looking forward to the Champions League and wants to prove himself again at this level. In addition, Tony speaks German very well, is in top shape and scored 20 goals last year.”"

In addition to providing cover and goals in Haller’s absence, Modeste will serve as a mentor for the club’s young striker, Youssoufa Moukoko. The player himself noted that he indeed had a conversation with Moukoko upon joining, stating that he is looking forward to playing with the Germany U-21s international:

"“He’s 17 years old, I’m 34. He’s a huge talent. I’m there to help him. Of course, I have more experience. I think we’ll do a good job together.”"

The gap in age between the players and the one year contract are both signals to the young German international that the signing of Modeste should not be viewed as a threat to the amount of minutes he will be able to play over the course of this season and beyond. Modeste’s openness about this should assuage any fears that Moukoko and his entourage may harbor in this vein, and hopefully make him more comfortable to sign a contract extension, which the club very much hopes that he does.

Modeste’s main motivations to join Borussia Dortmund are very understandable, with his focus being the opportunity to play in the UEFA Champions League at his age rather than competing with Moukoko for supremacy in the starting XI. The deal, when looking at it’s parameters, could indeed end up being very beneficial for Moukoko. While Moukoko does have a rather different player profile to Modeste, the latter’s experience and ability to perhaps help the former incorporate facets of his own game into his play style will go a long way towards making him a more well-rounded player.