Borussia Dortmund are at risk of falling outside of the Bundesliga top four this season. Although they have shown great resiliency in some matches, such as a recent comeback victory over rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach, there is a clear lack of talent in this squad compared to past seasons.
BVB need to get back to the basics. They need to focus on signing young, ascending talents with clear top talent and upside, rather than overspending on players at big teams in the Bundesliga. Dortmund need to have exciting wingers who can create chances and rebuild a young nucleus in defense.
Here are five possible transfer targets who could help Dortmund in the short and long term.
Lille RB Bafodé Diakité
Lille aren’t exactly a powerhouse in Ligue 1, but they are consistently one of the Champions League contenders in the French top flight. That is the case this season, with Les Dogue sitting in fourth, just one point behind Monaco for the third and final UCL slot.
Although Jonathan David has been a disappointment up top, Lille are among the Ligue 1 contenders because of a strong defense that is only bested by a ridiculous Nice unit in terms of goals per game allowed. Like PSG, Lille have surrendered just 11 goals in 13 matches.
Young defender Bafodé Diakité is a huge part of that. The 22-year-old has been getting significant minutes at both center and right back for Les Dogues, averaging 2.1 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game with just 0.4 dribbles allowed against him. He’s even added three goals and an assist in his eight starts.
Dortmund need a new right back. Marius Wolf isn’t the answer, and Julian Ryerson alone isn’t sufficient. A younger option is needed, and Diakité looks like he could be one of the best right backs in Europe.
Monaco RB Vanderson
Likewise, Vanderson is another one of the best right backs in European football and has an established record over multiple seasons for Monaco, who look favored to qualify for the Champions League under former Bundesliga manager Adi Hütter.
The 22-year-old Brazilian should be well-known to Dortmund and other top clubs around the continent. He was solid in 2021/22, became even better defensively in 2022/23, and is on pace for his best season yet in 2023/24 as Monaco continue to make strides as a team.
Vanderson probably won’t come cheap, but unlike a lot of the transfers Dortmund has made as stopgap solutions, the U23 Ligue 1 standout would be worth it. Dortmund need a real solution at right back who can defend at a high level, while still progressing play. Vanderson is that guy.
Manchester United LW Jadon Sancho
A reunion with Jadon Sancho makes a ton of sense for both Dortmund and the winger. Sancho’s career has never been the same since joining Manchester United.
The ex-Manchester City man formerly held the record for most goals in a single Bundesliga season by an English player before Harry Kane already shattered it this season, but it’s impressive that Sancho accomplished this as a prospect and a creative winger.
Dortmund looked like a much better team with Sancho in the lineup, creating chances and taking players on. BVB usually pride themselves on having top-class wingers, but since Sancho’s departure, they haven’t had a player like that. Donyell Malen has his moments and Karim Adeyemi has the raw talent, but neither of them are consistent.
A loan deal for Sancho would be a great, low-risk winter move to help give Dortmund a boost in 2024.
Lecce LW Lameck Banda
Lecce have a knack for finding exciting talents, and Lameck Banda flashed serious potential in the 2022/23 season despite looking far from the finished product with some bizarre technical errors in the final third. However, you could see that he had copious raw talent and was capable of dribbles nobody else in Serie A could accomplish.
Banda is putting it all together this season. He is averaging 1.6 key passes, dribbles completed, and fouls drawn per game each in the 2023/24 campaign, scoring one goal with three assists to already exceed his 2022/23 output.
The 22-year-old Zambian international could be an intriguing, low-cost flier for Dortmund to add some creative juice to the wings. Banda is the kind of player who can run counterattacks for BVB, which they need. They need that kind of progression and work rate on the wing to help the strikers.
Lille CB Leny Yoro
Going back to Lille, Leny Yoro has been arguably even more impressive than Diakité when you consider that the French center back is only 18 years old.
Yoro has been one of the best players at his position in Ligue 1 with 1.6 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per match, while only being dribbled past 0.3 times per game. It’s hard to find that kind of quality in an 18-year-old center back, as Yoro is helping anchor one of the best defenses in the league.
Dortmund have Nico Schlotterbeck, but they need a young defender with more solidity to complement him. Mats Hummels’ best days are behind him, while Niklas Süle isn’t the solution.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.