Joane Gadou continues to climb up the rankings of the best defenders in the Bundesliga. On Friday, the Frenchman had another stormer for Borussia Dortmund which gives them plenty of hope for the future.
Coming off a forgetful international campaign with France's U21 werein he got sent off against Luxembourg U21 and subsequently missed their next Euro 2027 qualifier, Gadou was slotted back into the XI with Ramy Bensebaini on the bench after playing an international match just 72 hours before the kick-off.
Dortmund were on the attacking foot for most of the time, giving Gadou and his fellow centre-backs the leeway to station themselves high up and build pressure on their visitors with a spell of sustained possession. The 19-year-old demonstrated accuracy of a sniper, completing 106 of his 110 passes on the night.
He was almost a deep-lying playmaker in centre-back's body, punching holes in Bremen's defense with incisive passes that played an instrumental role in progressing their attacking moves.
Turns out, Gadou was just as effective in defense, tracking back superbly in rare moments of Werder Bremen counter. He produced a last-ditch clearance when Chuki raced ahead to meet with Karl Hein's superb long-ball forward in the first half, nipping a potential danger which even drew loud applause from the home crowd.
Clocking at around 34 kilometers per hour during the preseason, we were already aware of his encouraging pace. This particular moment highlighted how useful it is in defending counter-attacks while also serving a lesson in robustness. In the 53rd minute, Gadou was at it again, this time with Fullkrug looking to break and make use of the space that BVB left in behind.
The former Dortmund striker managed to get ahead of him, but Gadou displayed excellent recovery pace to make an important challenge on him from behind that appeared to upset Fullkrug's balance, thereby messing his shot as it came off Gregor Kobel's feet, denying the German a chance to put Werder Bremen in front.
For a player of his age, the teen wonderkid is a serious physical presence. He made two tackles and attempted six ground duels, winning four, as Gadou sought to disrupt Bremen's rhythm and came away rather successfully.
What's remarkable is that he's showing such confidence and willingness after just five league appearances under his belt, developing on his reliable displays during the preseason and emerging as a key component of Dortmund's tactical setup.
Signed on a €19 million transfer from Red Bull Salzburg, Gadou already seems to have made the right-side of their three-man backline his own while also making a case for one of the best imports to the Bundesliga this season.
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