There’s no doubt that Niclas Füllkrug is a favourite of Edin Terzic with 19 goal contributions in 27 Bundesliga games, but where does that leave Sébastien Haller and Youssoufa Moukoko?
Of the 27 league games Füllkrug has featured for Borussia Dortmund this season, the 31-year-old started in 25 of them which has yielded a return of 11 goals and eight assists. The former Werder Bremen striker has been at the forefront of Dortmund’s attack this season, helped with the absence of Haller, who came on as a substitute against Bayern Munich last weekend, after an ankle injury kept the Ivorian sidelined.
But even with the return of Haller, it’s unlikely that he will be able to displace Füllkrug in the starting eleven. The duo are very similar in striking profiles and the former remains an interesting option to Terzic for when he wants a physical striker, in the absence of Füllkrug, just like in their Klassiker win against Bayern. Terzic opted to replace Füllkrug with the Ivorian in the 74th minute and he went on to assist Julian Ryerson for BVB’s second goal.
With five games in 16 days including a Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid, Terzic will need all options available. But come the end of the season, Ruhr Nachrichten hint that Haller could leave Dortmund in the summer. Even with five goals and four assists in the final five Bundesliga games of last season, Dortmund felt the need to enter the market to sign Bremen’s Füllrug for €15m.
Not only that, Sky Germany also report that Dortmund have doubts as to whether Haller will be able to reach a top level again, and so a departure in the summer can’t be ruled out. Arriving from Ajax for €31m and with a current market value of €14m, per Transfermarkt, that means BVB will earn a loss on the 29-year-old, but will save on the player’s reported €9m salary.
Is there a place for Youssoufa Moukoko?
With three goals in 345 minutes across 15 Bundesliga games, Moukoko has been used sparingly by Terzic. The Germany international will be dissatisfied with his playing time this season and could be a player to seek football elsewhere. Moukoko has been in the starting eleven on just two occasions this season, against Bochum and Heidenheim, both alongside Füllkrug in the absence of Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt and Marco Reus.
At the moment, Moukoko is only a third alternative for Terzic and per Sky Germany, the 19-year-old plans to leave in the summer should nothing change in terms of playing time.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
