Borussia Dortmund squad depth for 2022/2023: Forwards

Sébastien Haller

Haller’s arrival at the Signal Iduna Park was received with much fanfare.  The former-Ajax man was brought in to be the replacement for Erling Haaland, who had left for Manchester City earlier in the transfer window.  After amassing 47 goals and 16 assists across a mere 66 games for Ajax, Haller was seen as the last piece to the puzzle that could push Dortmund to hoisting the Bundesliga title for the first time since 2012.

The unfortunate news of Haller’s diagnosis with a testicular tumor really put a damper on what was a rather encouraging outlook for BVB’s 2022/2023 season.  Although there is much disappointment that the club’s record signing will be out indefinitely, that comes secondary to wishing Haller all the best in his road to recovery.

Anthony Modeste

A signing that came relatively late in the summer transfer window, Anthony Modeste was brought in for a cool five million euros in early August as a short-term replacement for Sébastien Haller.  Modeste is coming off of a rather prolific year at 1. FC Köln where he racked up twenty goals in the Bundesliga last season.

Although certainly not one of the more high-profile signings of the summer, Modeste has the potential to greatly impact the BVB squad as he fits the bill of a true number nine striker and takes the pressure off of the very young Youssoufa Moukoko.  Considering that nearly half of his goals last season were headers, Modeste provides a much-needed aerial threat for die Schwarzgelben.

Probably the most interesting element of Modeste’s signing will be how Terzic chooses to use the French goal-scorer alongside Moukoko.  Modeste has made it known that he wants to take on a mentor-like role with the youngster, and no doubt there will be matches where we see both players share the pitch in a two-striker pairing.

The caveat to Modeste, however, is that his playstyle is very different compared to the strikers BVB have had in recent years.  There has been a clear learning curve for both Modeste and the team since his arrival in Dortmund, but if the team can adjust their collective playstyle to cater to Modeste, it could pay dividends this season.

Youssoufa Moukoko

The seventeen-year-old teenage prodigy is entering his third season with the first team.  No doubt he will be looking to capitalize on his chances this campaign and solidify himself in the first team and starting XI.  So far this season, Moukoko has found himself both starting and coming off the bench, and he has shown his quality throughout.

Reports are that the Dortmund hierarchy have offered Moukoko a three-year contract extension, but the youngster is waiting to see how his usage and playing times pans out first.  Moukoko is already leaps and bounds ahead of where he was two years ago, and we should expect him to continue to prove his skill and value to the team this season.