Opinion: Right-backs Borussia Dortmund should consider signing this winter

Alexander Bah

A less familiar shout for the position, Alexander Bah is a player that ticks many of the boxes Dortmund will be looking for when they start to comb the market for their next right back. The Danish international has been a strong part of Benfica’s start in the Primeira Liga, with the club having one of lowest numbers of conceded goals (9) in the league. The player is currently nursing a foot injury with no date of return currently listed.

Last season, Bah made 28 league appearances for Benfica, scoring once and assisting a further 5 goals. He also provided two assists during the club’s Champions League campaign. Statistically, the last year of his career has been an extremely fruitful one, with the player putting up some exemplary numbers when compared to players in a similar position across the top 14 leagues in Europe. Bah finds himself in the 88th percentile for non penalty goals  per 90 (0.10), as well as the 90th percentile in terms of shot-creating actions (2.99) per 90. He is often finding himself in advanced positions, as his passes received stand at over 6 per 90 minutes as well.

The player’s defensive stats are also quite impressive, as he has put in (on average) 2.78 tackles, 1.55 blocks and has won 1.55 aerial duels per 90 minutes, making him a solid part of his team’s back line. The player is lauded for his positional discipline, the physical nature of his play, and the ability to be an attacking threat.

Much like Dortmund’s own Julian Ryerson, Bah is a tireless runner that finds himself up and down Benfica’s right flank all game long, contributing to every phase of play. Adding some pace and tenacity to the right side of Dortmund’s defense would help both in terms of defensive commitment, but also attacking output. While the player who currently occupies this position, Maruis Wolf, has a background in playing on the wing, his play to stretch opposition defenses is often lacking in terms of the effect one might want from their over-lapping fullback. Stretching the defense on the overlap is Bah’s specialty, with the player doing this on the regular, and following these runs up with a viable end product – accurate crosses into the box. A player such as Bah would benefit Dortmund as he would be an outlet through which they could feed Niclas Füllkrug
and bring him more into the game.

In terms of transfer feasibility, Bah’s current valuation stands at 14 million euros. The asking price will surely be substantially higher considering his performances, and the length of contract (2027) he has with Benfica will be of significance in terms of negotiations. Bah has also allegedly received interest from Barcelona as well as Arsenal, but considering the depth both sides have, Dortmund would likely have a good shot of convincing the player based on game-time. He is the perfect profile of player for Dortmund to target as well, as at his current age (25) is approaching his prime and could be a mainstay in the position for years to come.

There is no doubt that Dortmund will have to dish out a substantial amount in this market if they want to bring in a quality option at full back. There are clearly options out there that offer quality but will not completely break the bank. It is the hope that these names are somewhere on Dortmund’s radar and that the club will consider them as options based on the qualities they have, which would lend themselves to Dortmund quite nicely.