Following on from Dortmund’s moves for Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel and Thomas Delaney of Werder Bremen, the rumour mill is swirling again that the German side are planning on making another midfield move.
Lucien Favre’s side are being linked with a loan move for Manchester City‘s 18-year-old Spanish midfielder Brahim Diaz.
This is not the first time Dortmund have went to City to sign one of their bright prospects having signed Jadon Sancho last summer.
So, just what would Diaz offer Dortmund and is this the right move for the player?
What Does Diaz Offer?
At just 18, Diaz is obviously a player that City have high hopes for after he has impressed for the youth side in recent years. He’s impressed boss Pep Guardiola as well and subsequently, Diaz made 8 substitute appearances for City in 2017/18.
It’s difficult to read to much into the senior data on Diaz however though as he played just 103 minutes of senior football across those eight substitute appearances averaging just under 13 minutes per appearance off the bench.
In those brief fleeting moments Diaz played for City last season, it was clear that he was a player who could keep possession very easily. He had a pass success rate of 88.8% for City while averaging 8.8 passes per game. For someone in an attacking role with limited time in a dominant side who are usually seeing games out by the time he comes on, Diaz clearly is keen to get on the ball.
Another thing about Diaz is that he loves to dribble with the ball and get a shot away. He averaged 1.5 dribbles per game in his first team appearances for City and 0.6 shots per game. Add in the fact he was dispossessed just 0.4 times per game and it shows that he is tough to get off the ball.
These trends continue when you add his data from the U23 side to his senior contributions as seen below
Will He Get A Chance At Dortmund?
This is always the big question when a talented young player goes out on loan but history shows that Dortmund are keen to utilise young players in recent times.
Take Diaz’s old City teammate Jadon Sancho who made the move last summer. At just 18, he’s been hailed as one of the brightest young stars in English football and he impressed in his first season in Germany.
Eased into the first team by the club, Sancho made 12 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund. In that time he impressed with his ability to take people on and confidence on the ball, registering four assists and a goal in the process.
Therefore, all signs point to Diaz being offered a good chance to play more elite senior football than he would at City if he made the move to Dortmund.
Summary
Overall, Brahim Diaz looks like a very interesting proposition for Dortmund and a relatively low-risk one as well. He is a wildly talented player capable of taking players on and keeping the ball well. However, his lack of senior football does raise some concerns over whether he can do it consistently at a high level.
It’s a low risk, high reward situation for Dortmund so while it makes logical sense, it’s tough to be excited about this. An intriguing one.
