Julian Brandt
Finally, we have arrived at the player you probably first thought of when reading the title: Julian Brandt. As another disclaimer, I must confess I am a Brandt fan, so it is undoubtedly a complicated takeaway for me to discuss in this piece. Also, I do not concur with Kovač's quotes comparing Brandt to the likes of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, who are a tier above him. No questions asked.
At the same time, Julian Brandt is far from the bad player most BVB Twitter (X) pages are describing him as. Brandt has had very productive seasons for Borussia Dortmund, even considering some fluctuations in his first years in Black-and-Yellow. Take last season as an example: Brandt played 47 matches in 2023/204, computing 38 goal contributions in all competitions. These are not numbers from a completely discardable player.
Now, putting the current season into perspective, I believe it is for the best that Borussia Dortmund sells Julian Brandt in the summer transfer window. With one year left in his contract, BVB will unlikely convince him to stay, especially considering Dortmund's poor administration, the managerial carousel, and the lack of Champions League football.
Simultaneously, Brandt's downfall in performance and shaken relationship with the fanbase might be enough reasons for both parties to part ways. It could be the best solution for both sides, as Brandt still is highly valued in the market at 35 million euros, as per Transfermarkt. And, as much as I like Brandt and hope he can still make justice for that number 10 shirt, the context of the current season makes this long-term relationship almost unsalvageable. A waste of another talent for BVB, unfortunately.