Edin Terzić alludes to a future in midfield for Raphaël Guerreiro

Borussia Dortmund’s Raphaël Guerreiro put in a strong showing in midfield against Schalke last weekend, which has prompted Edin Terzić to leave it as an option for the future.

Raphaël Guerreiro is a player who has often captivated with his displays on the pitch, particularly when it comes to his technical ability and creativity. These are traits that have indeed become part of a modern full-back’s arsenal, but this should not detract from their defensive duties, as has been the case with Rapha over the years.

Guerreiro has often been criticized for his approach to defending, seemingly lacking enthusiasm or energy at times, which leads to him being late to react to the opposition. Many sequences have led to goals and dropped points, which seemed to be the reason that Rapha was destined to leave in the summer on a free transfer with the club were simply looking for fresh blood in defense.

His display in midfield could lead to a change in the trajectory of this story, however. During the pre-match press conference in the lead up to BVB’s clash with FC Köln, Edin Terzić alluded to the fact that Rapha’s midfield appearance could quite realistically not be a one off occurrence:

"“Rapha has often been used as a left-back in recent years. But we know he can also make good decisions in the midfield. He always gets into positions in the half spaces where he always finds solutions. We wanted to have a lot of ball-secure players in the center on Saturday. He played a good game, we want to keep that open for the future as well.”"

While Terzić’s comments aren’t exactly an outright endorsement for a contract extension, they do provide a possible avenue through which we may see Guerreiro extend his stay at the Westfalenstadion. A transition to midfield would be beneficial for both club and player, should the player be open to making the positional transition.

Midfield will be an area of interest for BVB come the summer with Mo Dahoud set to leave and Jude Bellingham possibly moving on as well. Raphaël Guerreiro could possibly take up the position made vacant by Dahoud’s departure, and possibly still deputize at left-back if need be.

The club will have the additional funds to pay the player once sales and departures occur and the contract extension could be performance based, which is something Sebastian Kehl has been addressing when in contract negotiations with other players since taking up the position.

If Raphaël Guerreiro is truly able to embrace a future as a midfielder, his prospects of a Dortmund future are far more realistic as things stand. The Portuguese international has shown his ability to be a difference maker from midfield, and his skillset makes him a good fit to play a more creative, attacking role for his club.