The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills

Chapter 450 - 94: The Transfer Market Opens! A Dortmund Connection! Wang Shuo’s Trip Home

With the addition of Piszczek, Dortmund would now have two quality right-backs.

Owomoyela was already 30, and his performance had clearly flagged during the second half of last season.

Piszczek’s arrival would undoubtedly bolster the team’s strength on the right flank.

As a result, the strength of Dortmund’s entire backline was further enhanced.

On the left, De De was also set to return from injury, joining Schmelzer.

The more significant concern was Weidenfeller.

Frankly, the goalkeeper wasn’t particularly outstanding. However, he commanded considerable respect in the locker room. Moreover, he had been the team captain ever since Kael’s absence, so no one was going to replace the goalkeeper.

In the midfield, Sven Bender had already put in a very impressive performance the previous season.

Captain Kael, of course, was another story. As long as he was injury-free, he could even push Sven Bender onto the bench.

Then there was Florian Krag.

You could say the Dortmund youth academy product had truly terrible luck.

He was hastily sent out on loan, and after joining Hertha Berlin, he played for just 13 minutes before being subbed off with a metatarsal fracture.

He finally made it to the second half of the season and, after recovering from his injury, played several consecutive matches in excellent form.

But unexpectedly, he got injured again in late March.

The most incredible part was that on April 10th, in matchday 30, a freshly recovered Krag came on as a substitute in Hertha Berlin’s home game against Stuttgart. Just three minutes later, he was injured and had to be taken off again.

The cause of the injury was, once again, a metatarsal fracture.

Initial estimates suggested the player would likely be out for the entire 10/11 season.

Tinga had left the team, Letalek wasn’t ready for a major role, and while Foyelner could play as a deep-lying midfielder, it still wasn’t enough.

So, after a lengthy selection process, Dortmund signed 19-year-old midfielder Ilkay Gundogan from Nuremberg for a transfer fee of 2 million euros.

The young prospect’s playing style was very similar to Shahin’s, but there was still a considerable gap between them.

Especially on the defensive side.

Although Shahin was known as a playmaker with excellent technique, his defensive abilities were actually very strong.

One statistic proved this: Shahin averaged 7.4 ball recoveries per match.

This broke down to 3.4 tackles, 2.5 interceptions, and 1 clearance.

As a defensive midfielder, Sven Bender averaged 4.8 ball recoveries per match.

However, Sven Bender was more adept at direct defending, contributing an average of 3.3 tackles, 2.1 interceptions, and 1.4 clearances per match.

Compared to these two, Gundogan’s numbers were clearly inferior.

He averaged 3.3 ball recoveries per match, with 1.5 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, and 0.5 clearances.

However, Gundogan had a higher pass completion rate than Shahin, and his long balls were more accurate.

Dortmund signed him in the hopes of strengthening the team’s midfield.

Nuremberg had finished 17th in the recently concluded Bundesliga season. Although they defeated Augsburg in the relegation playoff to remain in the top flight, Gundogan was undoubtedly more eager to join Dortmund.

In the number 10 role, as Götze gradually cemented his spot, Foyelner became the backup.

But Klopp still felt uneasy about the position.

Therefore, Dortmund signed veteran Brazilian midfielder Antonio Da Silva from Karlsruhe of the 2nd Bundesliga.

He was one of Klopp’s guys!

Antonio Da Silva was a favorite of Klopp’s and had been instrumental for Mainz in the past.

He and the Dane, Leo Andreasen, were two players Klopp had once coveted but failed to sign. Both were perfect fits for Klopp’s tactical system.

Last season with Karlsruhe, Antonio Da Silva had performed well, making 25 appearances with 2 goals and 7 assists.

So, Klopp snapped him up for Dortmund on a free transfer.

With new players coming in, there were bound to be some going out.

Tinga left on a free transfer.

Backup goalkeeper Ziegler was transferred to Stuttgart for 300,000 euros.

Wang Shuo’s backup, Paraguayan striker Valdes, was sold to newly promoted La Liga side Hercules for 3.5 million euros.

Zorc, for his part, planned to use that money to scout for a suitable replacement striker on the transfer market.

There were quite a few players who fit the price range and were on Dortmund’s transfer shortlist.

For example, there was Helmes from Bayer Leverkusen, and Mandzukic from Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb.

There was also Schalke 04’s striker Kuranyi, among others.

The name that excited Dortmund fans the most, however, was Real Madrid’s legendary striker, Raul.

The Real Madrid captain could play both in the number 10 role and as a striker.

Wang Shuo, however, wasn’t worried in the slightest.

’Whoever they bring in is just going to be my backup anyway!’

So, he continued with his plans, setting off from his hometown with his family for Hang City.

But just then, he received a phone call from Europe.