The curious case of Sebastien Haller and his struggles at Borussia Dortmund

I may suggest that Edin Terzic doesn't know how to properly utilize or impliment strikers in his matchday tactics. Two consecutive seasons have seen this team panic-purchase a striker in the final days of the summer transfer window.

While Niclas Füllkrug has worked out much better than Anthony Modeste, I still think perhaps Terzic is focusing on the wrong problem. Without Haller, the squad still had Moukoko and Malen last season, and this season, they've added Füllkrug. I'd argue that these profiles are significantly different, yet they're asked to perform the same role. Each has strengths and weaknesses, but I don't think Terzic focuses enough on effectively utilizing individual talent. With what we witnessed at AFCON, there's no reason Haller can't be scoring pretty goals at Dortmund too. Strikers under Terzic struggle.

The blame does not lie completely with Terzic, however. Everything about signing Haller made sense, and nobody could have anticipated the cancer diagnosis, which derailed Haller's career. I like Haller quite a bit, I like rooting for him and I want to see him succeed... but I question if keeping him around will benefit Borussia Dortmund moving forward.

As it stands, Sebastien Haller is one of Borussia Dortmund's highest earners. With a contract signed until 2026, Sebastian Kehl, Edin Terzic, and co. will have to determine if the Ivorian is worth standing behind in the hopes he delivers in the next year. Or if they would be better off offloading him for some much-needed cash to bolster the squad. He very well could find his form for Dortmund, but it's a gamble for someone who is almost thirty, and is unlikely to get too many opportunities with Füllkrug already in the side.