At the beginning of last season, Marco Reus, long-time club captain and fan favorite, decided to give up his title. With his minutes dwindling and several young and exciting players on the team, our beloved Reus did the honorable thing: passing the torch. Then, former coach Edin Terzić chose to name Emre Can the new captain.
Playing primarily as a defensive midfielder, Emre Can was coming off a good season as a regular starter, solidifying his place in Tezric’s starting XI week in and week out. It made sense at the time: Emre Can’s best performances in Black-and-Yellow were in the back half of Terzic’s first entire season in charge. He was experienced at the highest level, had gained control of his hot-headed outbursts, and became a figure who was always fighting for his teammates.
Yet now, in the second half of his second season as captain, Emre Can is regarded by fans as inconsistent and, at times, horrendous. Living up to Marco Reus's legacy was always going to be difficult, and I fully supported Terzic’s decision to award him the role. But now, as BVB struggles in the bottom half of the domestic table, I question whether Emre Can’s time as captain should come to an end.
New manager Niko Kovač plans to keep Emre Can as the captain, which makes sense for the current season. Mid-season captaincy changes are very rare and can quickly destabilize a locker room. But that doesn’t mean Kovač won’t make a change this summer, especially since Emre Can has just one remaining year on his contract, and prospects of a renewal seem to be dwindling.
Dortmund’s leadership crisis is even garnering the attention of match officials, with referees rumbling in the media discussing BVB’s lack of leadership and lambasting the fact the Black and Yellows lack any standout leaders like Mats Hummels. For the club to be successful, somebody needs to step up, whether in an official or unofficial capacity, and this club has plenty of prospects, so let’s examine six of them and determine their likelihood of donning the armband in the near future: