Who is Muhammed Damar?
Muhammed Damar (2004) has spent his academy days in many different clubs, most notably in Hertha BSC and Eintracht Frankfurt. German of Turkish descent, Damar transferred to Hoffeheim in 2022, where he made his professional debut on August 6th in a 3-1 loss against Borussia Mönchengladbach. He, however, did not stay long in the Bundesliga, being loaned out in consecutive years to Hannover 96 and SV Elversberg, respectively.
His shot at Hannover was not particularly productive, as he only played four matches and 62 minutes that whole Bundesliga 2 season with no goal contributions. Lacking playing time and a chance to develop his talent, Damar went to Elversberg and made his breakthrough. In this campaign, Damar has played 30 times more than in his previous one, playing 1,885 minutes and starting all but one match (due to suspension) since joining the club, according to FBref. He is helping Elversberg stay in 6th place and fighting for a promotion spot, with only two points behind third place by Matchday 28.
The youngster also has a history in the youth National Team, representing Germany in U18 and U19 levels before making his debut with Germany U20 last month. He has only one goal in four caps for Germany U20s.
Damar is a right-footed attacking midfielder who can also play in the left wing. He is very prominent in ball-control, dribbling, and shooting. In many of his goals this year, he likes getting close to the box, sometimes similar to a center-forward, to finish chances with finesse. He is also an interesting set-piece taker for the youth teams.
Overall, Damar is an enjoyable-to-watch prospect. Still, he might need some time to mature and develop his best game as he has just recently made his breakthrough in Germany's second tier. Even so, it would be worth the risk, depending on the price tag. With Brandt and Reyna being question marks as of now, young talents like Lerma and Damar might provide a new light to Dortmund's number 10 role.