Borussia Dortmund's striker conundrum: How should BVB approach their current striker surplus?

The argument for moving on from Youssoufa Moukoko:

The case of Youssoufa Moukoko is one that's left a lot of spectators scratching their heads over the course of the last few seasons. As a talent that Dortmund pushed to bend the rules of the DFL so that they could field him at a younger age when he made his debut in 2020, one would have expected him to feature far more than he has since then. Five starts and five goals across 625 minutes on the pitch were the extent of his contributions over the course of this campaign.

According to Sky Sport, the club is willing to part ways with the player for a fee of 20 million euros, which sort of underlines the only argument for selling Moukoko in the first place; additional funds to help in terms of the squad rebuild. That being said however parting ways with Moukoko would make little sense from a sporting perspective as the player himself offers a very different profile to any of the other strikers on Dortmund's roster.

Moukoko's player profile is one that's been discussed at length since speculation about his future began well back into the previous campaign. With the number of games and variety of opponents that Dortmund will face next season across the new format of the Champions League as well as in the Club World Cup at the tail end of the season, having a player like Moukoko would add ample tactical flexibility even in the event that Füllkrug stays. In the event that Füllkrug leaves however this would leave the club very thin in the position.

Tactics and player profile aside, Moukoko is clearly a talented player; one that hails from Dortmund's academy no less. A Moukoko departure, especially at his young age, would yield a failure in terms of player integration from the youth ranks into the first team in my eyes. It would also send the wrong message to young talents who are willing to stay at the club and fight for their position at the club.

Overall, Dortmund has some very important decisions to make in the coming weeks in terms of player departures, especially in the striker position. it will take strong deliberation within the club to make these decisions a reality, but at least based on the facts presented, the departure of Haller would make the most sense for the club and player, as it would allow for the integration of Guirassy as well as allow for minutes for the likes of Füllkrug and/ or Moukoko to still play a significant role in the club's fortunes next season.