Borussia Dortmund Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl: It was not easy to let Haller leave the club

With so many changes taking place within Borussia Dortmund’s starting 11 as well as the internal structure of the club this summer, it’s no surprise that Borussia Dortmund Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl had many questions to answer in a recent Sky Sport interview about a fair few of these changes. One of the topics of conversation that Kehl broached was the departure of Sébastien Haller.

Haller, who left for CD Leganes on loan at the end of the summer transfer window, struggled for minutes last season after the club brought in Niclas Füllkrug last summer. Füllkrug, who incidentally also left this summer, played the majority of minutes up front for Dortmund as  former Dortmund coach Edin Terzić didn’t rotate frequently. This lack of minutes for Haller was also compounded by injury issues that began prior to AFCON and continued to plague Haller after his triumphant return from the completion. 

According to Kehl, Haller’s departure from Dortmund was not an easy decision for the club:

"The situation really got to me. This story doesn't happen very often in this form. He is a great personality. It wasn't easy for us to let him leave. But we found a good solution in the interests of everyone involved."

- Sebastian Kehl

Haller’s departure was more or less sealed this summer, at least from a logical standpoint, prior to the departure of Füllkrug this summer because the club had opted to bring in Serhou Guirassy anyway. Haller’s minutes at the club, had he stayed, would have continued to be very minimal.

While Haller’s levels may have dropped over last season due to various factors, (factors that also likely include his continued recovery from his battle with cancer), as Kehl notes, the player is absolutely a top personality. He has shown on the field that he still has a lot to offer for any team that ends up being in his future.