Mahmoud Dahoud (l.) and Ousmane Dembele will be team mates at Borussia Dortmund next season - © © gettyimages / Christof Koepsel
Mahmoud Dahoud (l.) and Ousmane Dembele will be team mates at Borussia Dortmund next season - © © gettyimages / Christof Koepsel

Flourishing Dahoud ready for next challenge at Borussia Dortmund

xwhatsappmailcopy-link

Mahmoud Dahoud is one of the biggest upcoming talents in the Bundesliga and surely in Europe too. The 21-year-old will move from Borussia Mönchengladbach to Borussia Dortmund this summer – the next step in his young career.

Do you have Dahoud in your Official Fantasy Bundesliga team? Sign him up here!

“Mo Dahoud is a highly talented and exciting central midfield player who we have observed intensively for several years,” Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said when Dahoud’s transfer was announced on Thursday. “He has already demonstrated that he can play at the top level.”

Dahoud wants to take the next step in his career with Dortmund. At Gladbach he became a first-team regular in the Bundesliga but now he wants to assert himself in the face of even stronger competition and above all to gain further top-level international experience. With Gladbach it could be difficult to return to the European stage next season – in particular the UEFA Champions League seems far away at the moment.

Watch: See Dahoud's strike against Hoffenheim in November:

A switch to the yellow and black Borussia is therefore the logical consequence - particularly since Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel already wanted Dahoud last season. Gladbach only have to sell the midfielder now since his contract with them would have expired next year. In Dortmund, Dahoud will join a string of talented young pros like Ousmane Dembele, Christian Pulisic and Julian Weigl.

In Mönchengladbach, the Germany under-21 international has developed into an outstanding footballer. He arrived there in 2010 from Fortuna Düsseldorf and soon stood out in the youth ranks.

Watch: Check out one of Dahoud's best goals for Gladbach

He was already part of the first-team squad as a teenager but first he earned his place in the under-19s side and in particular with the second team. There the Syrian-born player, who moved to Germany with his parents 10 months after his birth, could develop in peace. Under Lucien Favre, though, he had already earned his first minutes at senior level in the UEFA Europa League.

He also flourished with the under-23 team. Only a year later, in the 2015/2016 season, the small midfielder (1.77m) was a key part of the Foals’ starting eleven. In the league he missed only two matches, one of which he was injured for. As well as that he took part in all six UEFA Champions League group matches Gladbach played last season – starting five of them. In total, he has already made 17 appearances on the European stage, scoring once.

Watch: Dahoud's vision earned him a place in the top 10 assists for last season.

Dahoud played a decisive role in helping Gladbach qualify for the Champions League for the second year running, this time under André Schubert. The underage international, who has played for Germany since under-18 level, already has incredible vision for such a young age.  

From a defensive midfield position, he directs Gladbach’s play. With his subtle feet, whether left or right, he plays dream passes and cuts opposing defenders out of the game. Add to that his calm and assurance on the ball, from which he is hard to separate even in a tight space. Even in front of the opposing goal he is quite successful.

Next year then, he will play for the Borussia from Dortmund, who beat several other top European clubs to his signature.

 Kristina Jäger