How would Enzo Millot fit in at Borussia Dortmund?

Borussia Dortmund and VFB Stuttgart have struck what seems to be a very one-sided relationship over the last few months. Die Schwarzgelben has worked very hard to acquire many of the pieces that made the Swabians such a successful side last season, with striker Serhou Guirassy and former Stuttgart captain Waldemar Anton both joining the black and yellows this past summer.

According to reports, Dortmund looks set to try and snag yet another prominent piece of the Stuttgart puzzle in the form of Enzo Millot. The 22 year old Frenchman has been a standout performer for Stuttgart, with the midfielder scoring six goals and providing four assists this season across 18 Bundesliga and Champions League appearances combined and despite Stuttgart’s struggles this season, he's been able to show his quality on the pitch.

According to the reports in question, Millot could be available for 18-20 million euros due to a release clause in his contract with the Swabians. If the move were or occur, he would follow a similar route to that of former teammate Guirassy, who also joined for a cut price due to the release clause in his prior contract.

From a financial standpoint, the move would indeed be a bargain, and if Dortmund’s track record with Guirassy is anything to go by, adding Millot would mean adding an exemplary creative outlet for a bargain price. The question is, does Dortmund need a player of Millot’s skill set? The answer hinges on the future of Dortmund’s current attacking midfield.

Dortmund currently has both Gio Reyna and Julian Brandt to fill this role, but links to players such as Jobe Bellingham and Martin Baturina suggest that a shift in this position could be on the cards. Reyna’s future is far from clear at this time, and as we’ve previously mentioned, for any of these players to come into the fold Dortmund would need to see the departure of the American international to make it make sense.

Millot however is a slightly different profile to the aforementioned Baturina and Bellingham, both of whom would be coming in to deputize to Brandt. In Millot, Dortmund would be courting a starting caliber Bundesliga-proven attacking midfielder who would be unlikely to want to play second fiddle in making the next step in his career. This to me makes the prospect of Dortmund targeting and indeed bringing Millot in less likely, unless they wish to part ways with Brandt.

If we compare the two players, we see why there’s been quite a bit of scrutiny regarding the German international's performances. He has only racked up one goal and three assists in 16 Bundesliga and Champions League matches combined. This is coming off the back of the previous season where he absolutely shined in attacking midfield for Dortmund, where he had 9 Goals and 13 assists to his name in both competitions. This flip-flop in form has once again brought the conversations regarding his consistency as a player to the fore, and once again highlighted some of the problems he had prior to last season’s exceptional performances.

One complaint in particular is his tendency to lose the ball in dangerous situations. These losses in possession often lead to dangerous chances for Dortmund’s opposition and is a valid gripe when it comes to midfield security and ball retention. Millot by contrast is a serial ball-winner however, with the player’s tackles (1.35) interceptions (0.71) and progressive passes (5.48) per 90 showing that not only is the Frenchman a strong creative outlet, he has the ability to pinch the ball himself and then look to progress the ball up the pitch.

If we take a closer look at Brandt’s numbers, the majority of his creative numbers are still substantially higher than those of Millot’s. Putting the the statistical comparison to the side for a moment to look at the circumstances of this season, we can also highlight that Brandt has dealt with substantial struggles in part due to Dortmund’s inability to rotate because of the substantial injuries they have incurred all season. Brandt’s dip in form could then be due to lack of rotation and over-exhaustion, as we’ve seen not only his form decline but other players like Marcel Sabitzer and Pascal Grob have also been forced to play extensive minutes all over the pitch without much respite.

Taking this into account, I think it’s safe to say that it would be premature to seek parting ways with Brandt just yet, and while he may not be a serial ball-winner like Millot, on his day he is an exceptional creative outlet that will function well in a more secure midfield. The recent rise of fellow German international Felix Nmecha as Dortmund’s first choice number six should give Brandt added security, something he himself has commented on in the past.

Millot himself is a very talented player, but with the club still seemingly not looking for a first-choice attacking midfielder and more-so young players that could eventually fill the role, unless Millot were or also be able to get minutes in another position, I don’t see the player considering joining, especially if he can move somewhere else and be first-pick. With Bayer Leverkusen likely to lose Florian Wirtz next season for example, joining Leverkusen could end up being a more beneficial decision for the player himself, and Dortmund would do better to go after a player that won’t demand starting minutes right away, but also has the talent to push Brandt for minutes in future seasons.