Should Borussia Dortmund consider parting ways with Niklas Süle?

Borussia Dortmund’s season is reaching its crescendo, with the club preparing to compete in the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid at Wembley. There are still two Bundesliga matches left to play, and after that, summer will be upon us.

Many names have been mentioned in terms of renewal and restructuring of the club, with many players set to bid farewell to the club. Marco Reus has so far been the most high-profile name on the departures list, with club and player set to part ways once this season ends.

Another prominent name has however joined the list, with Germany and former Bayern Munich centre-back Niklas Süle likely to be on the list of players Dortmund are said to be listening to offers for. Süle arrived at Dortmund with much fanfare on a free transfer two seasons ago, with the hope that he would be one of the key players behind Dortmund to take their game to the next level and close the gap between them and Bayern. Unfortunately for Süle and Dortmund, things didn’t exactly turn out that way.

During this season, Dortmund head coach Edin Terzić favored the partnership of Nico Schlotterbeck and Mats Hummels as pillars of defense, and for good reason. The two men were a formidable force, especially in the Champions League, so much so that they were almost “unbeatable”. This has led to Süle sitting on the bench more than the player would have liked, and gives the impression that he simply has not and will not have the expected impact for Die Schwarzgelben.

The question then is: does Süle’s situation mean that player and club should look to part ways? The short answer is no, and there certainly could have been more instances during this season where we could have seen Süle play, meaning there are minutes left for the player to play, provided Terzić is ready to play it. .

Perhaps this is the crux of the matter, whether Terzić trusts the player on the pitch. So much has been said about Süle’s fitness during the season and some of the player’s performances have been criticized, but that doesn’t mean Süle’s appearances should have been as limited as they have been.

As has been mentioned several times, Terzić has an uncanny idea of ​​when to rotate the team and when to make substitutions. In the first half of the season in particular, we often saw Terzić turn to the bench very late in games, or at times where his substitutions have a very limited window to actually make an impact.

This carried over into the second half of the season and while the results were better than they were in the first half, there were many games where it seemed like many starters, especially Schlotterbeck and Hummels were running on empty. reservoir. For several matches against traditionally “weaker” opposition, Süle’s rotation from the start of matches could have helped Hummels and Schlotterbeck improve their fitness, while giving Süle real minutes on the pitch. Considering the playing time of the centre-back duo and the fact that Hummels is in his 30s, the club is extremely fortunate that there have not been more injuries to the club or issues in the defensive department .

As well as playing in central defence, Süle is very proficient at playing at right back – a position Dortmund had struggled to fill before Julian Ryerson was permanently moved to the right when the club replaced Ian Maatsen in the winter transfer window . Marius Wolf, whose performances are often a few notches below what Dortmund needs at right-back, has instead been the go-to man. It’s a bit strange that Süle hasn’t been used more often in this position, as his few appearances there have been quite solid, with Süle even scoring from this position.

Even though it wasn’t his primary position, playing at right-back could have ensured Süle maintained a higher fitness level. Even if he didn’t regularly start or finish games in that position due to concerns about center back depth, the extra minutes would have helped both the team feel fresher and the player more involved.

As the summer approaches, there is also uncertainty over Mats Hummels’ future to consider. If the veteran defender were to leave, it would be more imperative for Dortmund to retain Süle. The player has shown in the past that he can be classy on the pitch, and his versatility, if used, is also an asset for the club’s future.