Opinion: Dion Lopy could boost Borussia Dortmund's midfield depth

Dion Lopy ran down his contract and left Reims for6.5 million going to Almeria last summer. After his first full season as a starter the Senegalese international midfielder is likely to move again. Lopy turns 22 next year despite already amassing over 5,000 senior minutes.  With Almeria relegated, Lopy could be available for a cut price fee next season. While Almeria struggled often this season, Dion Lopy still showed a gap between his abilities and those of his teammates. 

A lot of statistics and skills shown during a soccer match are fairly team reliant and some of Lopy's numbers show that. Moving from a mid table Reims side that was playing a well coordinated brand of vertical football, Lopy thrived showing excellent progressive passing numbers for a player in their age 20 season with 6.6 per 90.  Lopy's progressive pass numbers have fallen which makes some sense going to a side that finished second bottom and did not win any of their first 24 matches.

Lopy stand's out for his work in duels and his technique on the ball. Lopy ranks in the 89th percentile of midfielders for take-ons despite spending most of his time pinned in and around his own penalty area and being compared to midfielders that have more of the ball and more license to get forward. This means Lopy was beating his man repeatedly despite taking them on in congested areas. Most impressively however, Lopy is attempting just .1 less dribbles per 90 but is completing them at a higher rate, succeeding 60% of his take-ons. 

Defensively Lopy is likely a victim of his team's struggles at least statistically. Lopy is one of the biggest players in his side and is almost never targeted by crosses. With Almeria routinely getting ran through quite easily, Lopy's tackles and interceptions have dropped, likely a symptom of less minutes off the bench and an incoherent team press. Lopy's physical skills still show through defensively as he possesses the 4th highest percent of aerial duels in all of La Liga. Lopy's technical skills are unlikely to have disappeared after a year in Spain. 

With Almeria's relegation Dortmund could take advantage of a player who has been undervalued by a season with a weak team. Lopy's wages will likely be less than those of Ozcan. With Ozcan linked with moves away previously this is the time to move on to a player that is cheaper and has a higher ceiling.  Lopy would likely be a relatively cheap option that would not need to start immediately but has the ability to do so long term.