Sebastian Haller
The other striker away on loan for Dortmund this season is Sebastian Haller. He is on his second loan of this year at Dutch club Utrecht. His first loan of the season did not go well for the club or player, as he played 525 minutes for Spanish outfit Leganés without a goal contribution. In the January transfer window, he switched from his previous loan to Utrecht, where he scored over 50 goals between 2014 and 2017.
Haller has improved slightly in the Netherlands, as he has three goals in 11 appearances for the club and 820 total minutes. For Haller, eight starts since January is a good sign for the player who is hoping to help Utrecht qualify for European competition, as their last group-stage appearance in any such competition came in the 2010/11 season. Utrecht currently sits in third place, a spot that would put the team into the Champions League qualifying rounds next season. While Haller only has one league goal, Utrecht does not possess any lethal attackers; the team's highest goalscorer is midfielder Paxten Aaronson, with six goals in the season.
Next year will be a complicated one when it comes to the AFCON winner. Haller is one of the highest earners at Dortmund, and his performances from recent campaigns do not suggest the club will want to keep him around next year. I see three potential options for Haller's future. Option one is to sell him, but he will likely not earn many suitors due to his wages and poor play. Transfermarkt currently values him at only €3 million, which is nothing compared to the 31 million euros BVB spent on him. Option two is a mutual contract termination, similar to what happened with Thomas Meunier before his move to Turkey. Option three is another loan move. This would likely see Dortmund and his future club split the player’s high wages- saving money for both clubs involved.
Something to note is the international competitions that Ivory Coast will participate in next season. They will play in AFCON and will likely earn a spot in the 2026 World Cup, thus making it essential for their starting striker to find game time. Hopefully, Haller will be able to help Utrecht achieve their season ambitions of European qualification this year. Then it could be possible for them to extend Haller's loan, as he might be important for the club next season.