Union Berlin’s Tom Rothe envisions a possible Borussia Dortmund return

The departure of Tom Rothe to Union Berlin has been one of Dortmund’s more disappointing moves in the transfer window this summer; a move that has left the club looking quite thin on the left flank of the defense. The departure has more or less solidified Ramy Bensebaini as first choice for the position, with academy prospect Almugera Kabar as his primary deputy.

There is of course also Julian Ryerson who can play on the left, and unless Bensebaini has a renaissance in terms of form, I expect to see him out on this flank quite often to help cover as well. That being said, injuries happen throughout the season, and this level of depth may end up looking very thin without Rothe there to fill in.

Since joining Union Berlin, however, Rothe has not closed the door on a future Dortmund return. In a recent interview, the player was very clear that the Westfalenstadion could still be in his future, should Dortmund trigger the buy-back clause they put in the deal with Union:

"If things go so well that Dortmund pulls the [buy back] option, there would be little more beautiful clubs with better fans than Dortmund. This is not a wrong address."

- Tom Rothe

Rothe also spoke about his conversation with Nuri Şahin before he left, and his desire to get more minutes on the pitch. Şahin was unsurprisingly disappointed, but understood where the young player was coming from:

"I talked to him [Şahin] again and told him my decision to leave. He would have liked it if I had stayed, but he could understand my step."

- Tom Rothe

Rothe does not seem averse to competition, however, with the player very much aware that he will have to compete with Robin Gosens for a starting berth at Union. In his own words, it's almost as if the player relishes the opportunity to compete with and learn from senior players:

"Competition is there. That's not necessarily a bad thing. If you have a player as experienced as Robin, that helps me. I can take a lot with me. I also want to be a competition for him and show that I am there."

- Tom Rothe

Rothe’s statements perhaps bring into question just what sort of role Dortmund offered him, and whether he could have garnered significant minutes based on strong performances in training. As we’ve noted, Rothe could have also challenged Bensebaini for a spot in the starting 11, so this brings to mind the existence of further hurdles that Rothe may have had to get over to get those minutes.

While the situation certainly isn’t ideal from Dortmund’s standpoint at this time, Rothe’s statements do assuage concerns that the academy youth product wouldn’t get the chance to prove himself as a senior player for Die Schwarzgelben. Good performances for Union could see him one day playing an important role for the club in defense; a role that, based on his performances to this point, he should certainly one day get the chance to make his own.