Borussia Dortmund are reportedly interested in Stuttgart’s Waldemar Anton

When Borussia Dortmund’s summer rebuild was announced months ago, I would hazard a guess that no one thought the club had the absolute disarmament of VFB Stuttgart on their minds. If reports are to be believed however that seems to be the route the club could take.

Dortmund have been extensively linked with both Serhou Guirassy and Chris Führich in recent months, but the club seems to have added Stuttgart defensive stalwart Waldemar Anton to their list of targets. Anton would be viewed as a replacement for Mats Hummels should he not extend his contract beyond this summer, which is still something that has yet to be formally announced.

Dortmund’s interest in all three is said to come specifically from Sven Mislintat, who was sporting director for Stuttgart between the 2018/19 and 2022/23 seasons. Mislintat’s knowledge will certainly help should Dortmund pursue Anton or any of the aforementioned names, as they were his targets during his time in charge.

In terms of Anton specifically, however, Dortmund’s interest could also stem from his versatility and ability to play in midfield. The player can slot in as a defensive midfielder if needed, and as we know tactical flexibility is often a welcome option to have in the game these days. Anton is also capable of playing as a right back, which could be useful as well.

In terms of the numbers, Anton is a very forward-thinking center back, which likens him to the (potentially) departing Hummels in player profile, if not in quality per se. Anton’s shot-creating actions (1.24) assists (0.09) and progressive passes (5.32) per 90 all speak to this fact, showing that he has an eye for moving play forward and helping his team progress the ball towards the opposition goal, which would be nice for Dortmund to have alongside Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle next season, who are also more than capable of playing in this manner.

So far, while nothing has been set in stone, it is interesting to think that Dortmund would look to Stuttgart as their source of core, new players next season, and in some ways, it would be rather unfortunate if they were to be the cause of this Stuttgart side being torn apart. While my preference would be for Dortmund to bring in a younger talent to work alongside Süle and Schlotterbeck, Anton could in theory fit the profile of player Dortmund could bring in to supplement the defense next season.