By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
On Thursday afternoon, Borussia Dortmund received the news
they were dreading. Skipper Mats Hummels informed the club that he didn’t want
to play for them in the 2016/2017 season and would like to move to their deadly
rivals and Bundesliga champions FC Bayern München.
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| Mats Hummels will be swapping yellow for red next season |
After seven years at Signal Iduna Park which has included
two Bundesliga titles and a UEFA Champions League runners-up medal in 2013,
Hummels (pictured) has decided it is time to move on. With just one-year left on his
current deal, it leaves Dortmund in a position where they have little option
but to accept their captain’s wishes.
Often touted as one of the world’s best central defenders,
will Mats Hummels make FC Bayern München an even stronger team, both
domestically and in Europe?
Lacking ambition
Hummels’ decision to move on from Dortmund doesn’t come as a
huge surprise. He has often cropped up in gossip columns and been linked with
all of the big clubs around Europe in the past, including Barcelona, Real
Madrid and Manchester United.
Moving to Bayern though senses a lack of ambition. Other
than his current club, Bayern are realistically the only team who can win the
Bundesliga because of the resources and depth of squad they have available to them.
In fact, a win on Saturday against Borussia Mönchengladbach will
guarantee a fourth consecutive Bundesliga title for the Bavarians. If this move
happens, it might assure the World Cup winner more domestic silverware and a
better shot at winning the UEFA Champions League.
However, a move abroad would have been a more ambitious
challenge for a player who definitely has the skills to become a success away
from German football.
Would he fit in?
There is no doubt that on his day, Hummels is the best
central defender in the Bundesliga. He didn’t have the best of campaigns last
season in Jurgen Klopp’s final season as Dortmund manager but it was difficult
to pick a standout player for them last term.
At times though, he has been found wanting. He scored an own
goal and played poorly in a 3-1 defeat to Hamburger SV in November – a game
which ultimately proved to be a very costly loss in Dortmund’s title tilt this
season. He also struggled in the recent UEFA Europa League collapse to
Liverpool FC in the quarter-finals.
Good in the air and skilful on the ball he might be, but he
isn’t the quickest defender around, so plenty of forwards would fancy their
chances in a straight sprint against Hummels.
He would slot straight into the Bayern starting XI, probably
forming a new partnership alongside Jerome Boateng. Central defence has been a
weakness during Pep Guardiola’s reign.
Medhi Benatia has disappointed since switching to Munich from
AS Roma 18 months ago, whilst Serdar Tasci has barely featured and Holger
Badstuber seems to be permanently injured. It means the likes of Xabi Alonso
and youngster Joshua Kimmich have had to slot into an unfamiliar role in the
backline.
This has been okay domestically, but has seem them exposed
in Europe and could cost them in the Champions League, as they are trailing 1-0
to Atletico Madrid going into next Wednesday’s semi-final second leg.
So it is fair to say that Hummels will improve FC Bayern
München going forwards. It will be interesting to see how he works under Carlo
Ancelotti next season.
Dortmund’s next move
A season that started with plenty of promise could turn into
a campaign with nothing to show for Borussia Dortmund’s efforts.
Elimination to Liverpool FC in the UEFA Europa League was a
bitter blow as it was a competition that manager Thomas Tuchel had targeted to
win from the start. They still have a DFB Cup final to look forward too, but
guess who they have to play in the Berlin final – yep of course, Bayern Munich!
Tuchel will have to deal with a testing summer. Hummels will
go now and Ilkay Gündogan is likely to follow Guardiola to Manchester City.
There is also heavy suspicion the likes of Neven Subotic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan
and top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang might depart the club too.
They must find and identify a replacement for Hummels
quickly. With promising Danish central defender Jannik Vestergaard set to join
Borussia Mönchengladbach from SV Werder Bremen, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s Niklas Süle
would be seen as a younger and more than capable replacement.
With three games to go, they need to knuckle down and
respond to this devastating news of Hummels’ impending departure.
Dortmund host VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday and if he plays, it
will be very interesting to see the fans’ reaction to Hummels as he nears the
end of his spell with the club.
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