Report: Borussia Dortmund are happy with Tom Rothe’s development out on loan

In an interview with Ruhr Nachrichten, Borussia Dortmund youngster Tom Rothe has opened up about how the club have assessed his time out on loan at Holstein Kiel.

Tom Rothe’s development has been one of great interest to Borussia Dortmund since the player went out on loan to second tier Holstein Kiel this summer. The Dortmund academy product had a few impressive appearances for Dortmund’s first team last season, but the goal was clearly to give the youngster more time on the pitch to develop, and the move is clearly paying off.

Rothe’s time with Kiel has seen him become a far more complete player, excelling in both the offensive and defensive aspects that football requires of a modern day full back. In 9 appearances for Kiel in the 2. Bundesliga, Rothe has already scored twice and provided one assist. He has become one of Kiel’s most dangerous assets from an attacking standpoint alongside Austrian Benedikt Picher, and Japanese forward Shuto Machino, all of which sit on 3 goal contributions. They are only behind German midfielder Steven Skrzybski, who has three goals and one assist to his name.

Statistically, Rothe finds himself excelling in terms of  non penalty goals scored (0.22), total shots (1.67), and shot creating actions (2.67) per 90 when compared to players of a similar profile across the top 14 leagues in the world. This becomes even more impressive when we see just how attentive he has been to his defensive duties, chipping in with 1.67 interceptions, 1.67 blocks and 1.5 aerial duels won per 90. These stats put him on track to quite possibly being the Dortmund academy’s next big success story, which would be a refreshing victory for player and club alike.

In an interview with RN, Rothe described his conversation with Edin Terzić over the course of the last international break:

"“Edin called me during the last international break. He asked me how I was, how I felt [out on loan]…So from what I’ve heard they [the club] are happy. But of course they also show me things that I can and must improve.”"

These area’s of improvement are mainly in the defensive aspect of his game. According to Rothe, he would like to improve his one on one defensive skills:

"“My strengths have always been in the offensive area, but I have a few issues defensively…I have problems, especially when playing defensively one-on-one against fast, lively players. I have to get better at that.”"

Rothe is also reveling in the fact that he is getting to play such an integral role while out on loan. When asked whether he was surprised to become such an important player so quickly, he expressed how happy it makes him, and how it’s also imperative for his development as a player, stating that it’s the only way he can hope to get better; by pushing to be that player of great importance for his side and getting as much minutes on the pitch as possible while staying injury free.

While it’s clear that Rothe has a way to go in terms of his development, it is also clear that he is on the right track, and also committed to his general improvement as a player. It is more than likely that upon the end of his loan the club will seek to make him an integral part of their future plans and perhaps he may become one of the long-standing faces of the club and it’s identity on the pitch when the time is right.