Opinion: Borussia Dortmund extending Marco Reus’ contract should only be a formality
According to reports per BILD, Marco Reus plans to continue his career after this season, preferably with BVB.
The situation regarding aging players at Borussia Dortmund has once again entered the spotlight with Bild reporting on Marco Reus and his wish to continue with the club after this season comes to an end. The Dortmund stalwart’s contract is said to expire this coming summer after he signed a one year extension with the club this year.
According to reports, Reus had initially pushed for a two year contract but then eventually settled for the one year offered by the club. Since being re-introduced into the team by Edin Terzić, he has proven once again that he can be one of Dortmund’s most clinical players when in form. His goals have been pivotal for the club, scoring in the last three Bundesliga games to make sure they registered important wins.
Reus’ current form has been essential for Dortmund’s bounce-back in terms of results. As we’ve come to see, Dortmund are working on a restructuring of wages, which has included in these one year extension for players of Reus’ age and accompanying wages based on performance. In signing his last contract, Reus took a significant paycut to stay at his beloved Borussia , instead of taking a lucrative Saudi Pro League offer. This decision is a key factor that delineates the type of player Reus is; uniquely loyal to his boyhood club in a way that we don’t often see in the landscape of football these days.
It’s is because of Reus’ unique character that the decision to extend the player should be nothing more than a formality. With the player’s wages already reduced, the financial aspect should not be the primary concern because it’s not Reus’ wages that will make or break the club’s budget; In fact, next season, Dortmund will likely be able to offload some high earners off of their wage bill as contracts will be expiring.
In addition to this, as the football landscape is changing more and more to focus on general finances and high wages for the best players, the club have to be very honest with themselves and see that Dortmund are unlikely to see a player with the level of Reus’ commitment anytime soon. A player of his talent will have the world at their feet, and should one emerge in his place, their head could very likely be turned by foreign offers.
How Dortmund chooses to proceed with Reus and his new could have reverberations that may affect future such decisions, which is why making sure he is taken care of will show the next generation that the club values those who have served loyally, and may prove to be an incentive for players to sign longer term deals. As we’ve come to see not just with Reus, the concept of what is an “aging player” is also shifting.
Developments in health, nutrition and general training lend themselves to player longevity, meaning that they can perform at a high level well past the generally established threshold of when a player is traditionally considered “old”. Even Reus, who had a very injury plagued career in his prime, has been able to age like fine wine and even diminish the amount of injuries he’s had to deal with since his youth.
dark. Next. Gregor Kobel extends Borussia Dortmund contract
While no one expects the player to be a starter forever, and his career will come to an end sooner rather than later, to put a rigid framework around any potential deal-renewal would be both disrespectful and a mistake on the club’s end. Having Reus retire anywhere but Borussia Dortmund would be a failure on their part as, unlike other players of his calibre, Reus chose his boyhood club over the potential of earning more somewhere else. The least Dortmund could do is show him the respect of making sure his storied playing career can come to a crescendo in the one place he’s always been able to call home.