Fear The Wall

After taking the 2 hour drive over the border from Liege to Dortmund, I arrived at the Hohenbuschei. It's a sprawling complex, pitches with under-soil heating, conference halls, classrooms, offices, restaurants, a TV studio, saunas, steam rooms, gyms and the Footbonaut. A cutting edge robotic training tool designed to give Dortmund players the edge over their competition. Needs turning up a level now I’m here.

When BVB were looking for a new manager I was the obvious choice apparently. Kicker and Bild ran polls to see who Dortmund fans thought would be the best fit, and I ran out the comfortable winner. They loved my ability to rebuild, to scout players that could take the club forward in the future. They loved the flowing, attacking football style I played. And most of all, they loved that I was cheap.

Part of the process of grovelling by the board in their relentless pursuit of me was an agreement to allow me to rebuild the side. I’ve been watching the games for a while now after they reached out to my agent and came to the conclusion that some of the players must have been Amish, as they sure as shit weren’t using this piece of kit. And they won’t be moving forwards either. I’m trimming the fat. Some of them have to go. Some out of dislike, some out of necessity. We’re short of first team depth here at the Westfalenstadion so a couple of players may go in 2 for 1’s.

Phil Jones came out the revolving door as I came in. I rang ahead and told them to pack up his locker. He injured himself trying to run over to stop them, told me all I needed to know. Diego Llorente and Frenkie De Jong followed in a car behind me just in case Mike wanted to keep hold of the funny faced freak. Llorente has been great for Real Sociedad and should hopefully continue to rise. De Jong has been a revelation since breaking into the Ajax first team, able to play as both a midfielder and a centre back, he’ll be due a tasty rise in the next review.

The next to leave was Timo horn. After Scallotti and Parfitt agreed a deal for Lloris I was happy to honour it. A cracking keeper, aside from being French. Timo Horn however has been struggling at Koln. Strange really after a great season last year. Not sure what the story is there to be honest. Still, I’m sure he’ll come good again, a sentiment echoed by Sir Walter Smith of the Leicester parish, who paid Clement Lenglet and Abel Ruiz. Lenglet is another great young centre back who’s able to play out from the back and has been linked with both Manchester clubs lately. Abel Ruiz was the captain of Barcelona’s under 17 European Champions winning side in 2017, who styles himself not only Barcelona’s past greats such as Van Basten, but Bayern Munich’s prolific no 9 Robert Lewandowski.

Abel Ruiz scoring a peach at the back post

Heung-Min Son was a player I wanted to keep hold of, but the option of Memphis Depay, who’s flying in France right now (10 goals and 7 assists) along with Thomas Partey of Atletico Madrid, who himself has been ever present and must surely be due a rise felt like a fair deal. Son has arguably been Spurs best player after Kane, but needs must. Amir Hadziahmetovic also moves to Villa for cash as part of the deal. I’m a big fan of Depay, he seems to have got his confidence back playing alongside Fekir and Diaz, and with a buy back clause added to the deal that took him to France, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get another chance at United in the future as they scour the market for another winger.

A handful of youth players have been deemed surplus to requirements, Boris Mathis, Luis Moreno, Cristian Baluta and Vajebah Sakor (who coincidentally also made the move to Leicester). This gives me a little wiggle room to try and bring in some 2 for 1 deals for the higher rated players.

Looking likely to leave are;

• Seamus Coleman. Alessandro Florenzi is my preferred option at right back so Coleman will be sacrificed for the greater good. Had plenty of interest in the Irishman, no doubt due to the difficulty of signing a 90+ rated fullback in T100.

• Blaise Matuidi. The Frenchman has been ever present for Juventus this season as they battle Napoli for the Serie A title. With a 93 rating ideally he’d be one to keep, but with centre midfield being the weakest area in terms of depth, he’ll have to go in the hope of getting a couple of lower rated centre mid’s in his place. He won’t be flogged to the first bidder however as his value as a 93 can’t be understated.

• Alberto Moreno. Repaying the faith shown to him by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, keeping new signing Robertson and old faithful Milner at bay. I’m a United fan though. Nuff said.

• Ever Banega. Similarly to Matuidi, ideally I’d keep the industrious Argentine currently at high flying Valencia, but a shortage of options means he’ll likely find his way out of the door.

• Frank Acheampong. Had plenty of interest in the versatile Ghanian. He recently admitted he signed for Tianjin out of protest at Anderlecht twice blocking his move to work with Marco Silva, first at Hull, and then at Watford. Any move to get away from the Belgians and then move on to the Premier League. A strong and fast player, don’t be surprised to see him in England before too long after finally getting away from his Anderlecht jail.

• Guido Carrillo. The Argentine is on the verge of signing for Crystal Palace after enduring a Monegasque nightmare. Playing for a side that operates with a lone striker always makes it difficult to shine, however when the first choice is Falcao, it’s made a little harder.He'll likely leave for youth.

• Willian. The Brazilian maestro has found his chances somewhat limited as Conte looks to tweak his style that won the league last season. Amazingly he’s still played in every game though and is consistently linked with a Mourinho reunion at Manchester United. He’ll likely leave as part of a deal for a younger winger of a slightly lower rating.

• Pedro. See above. Only in Spanish.

The challenge of taking on the big boys, being competitive whilst rebuilding Dortmund for the future was a big draw. It was a tough decision to leave my Liege side knowing that in time the side would develop into a real force that would work its way up the divisions, but there are a sprinkling of youths here that could form the foundation of a strong side, one that I hope to add to and tweak over time.

A few of the first team players that stand out are;

• Kalidou Koulibaly – a solid CB who’s defensive displays have been the bedrock of a high flying Napoli for a couple of seasons now.

• Inigo Martinez – another sold CB who could see a move to Manchester City in the coming window after Liverpool won the race for VVD.

• Alesandro Florenzi – a part time Roma captain and classy right back, who’s versatility allows him to make a difference all over the pitch.

• Gonzalo Higuain – the perfect foil to Paulo Dybala. The Argentine has consistently been once of footballs most prolific strikers. Wenger must be kicking himself.

Of the younger players;

• Marko Pjaca has just agreed a loan deal to Schalke that will should see him showcase the talent that tempted Juventus into spending £20 million on the Croatian.

• 18 year old Josh Tymon is starting to get minutes at a struggling Stoke side, a lad with bundles of potential, he’ll be looking to ensure that he doesn’t fold under the pressure at left back.

• Adrien Bongiovanni will be looking to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ex team mates Mbappe, Martial and Lemar and make the step from youth to senior football at Monaco. 5 goals and 5 assists in 10 games for the youth team gained the attention of Jardim and he recently made his first team debut.

• Frenkie De Jong and Abel Ruiz I’ve already mentioned.

• Adalberto Penaranda – First choice CF out on loan at Malaga due to having his work permit turned down. Yet to score, however this lad has been mentioned by FA coaches as the best player England faced in the U20 World Cup.

• Alen Halilovic – The ex Barcelona attacking midfielder has spent the start of the season on the sidelines after injuring his ankle, but is scheduled for a return to the pitch in the next week or so. Barcelona have taken a Denis Suarez/Gerard Deulofeu approach with Halilovic’s development, opting to sell him to ensure game time yet including an attractive €10 million buy back clause.

• Kasper Dolberg – The man in demand. Scouted endless times by United, Barcelona and Real Madrid so far this season (both United and Real apparently having bids turned down already), along with De Ligt, he’s the most likely player to get the next big move from Ajax's fabled academy. Billed as one of the biggest talents of his generation, he scored 23 goals in 47 games as he led Ajax to the Europa League final last season. 

Dolberg showcasing his talent

The plan is to rebuild and cement our position in Division 1 and potentially aim for a cup competition so we get the fans some silverware. It will be a similar approach to Liege, only at a higher level. I may lose a rating point here and there, but hopefully if I recruit properly I’ll be bringing in younger versions who can in time match or surpass the outgoing players.

FEAR THE WALL