OPINION | What defensive players should Borussia Dortmund consider adding to their ranks this summer?

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With the Bundesliga season now over, the ink is dry on the 2025/26 campaign and Borussia Dortmund look to be facing a large-scale overhaul this coming summer. Players like Julian Brandt and Salih Ozcan are set to leave on free transfers, while former Germany international Niklas Süle has announced his retirement from professional football.

These departures will leave gaps in their own ways, but centre-back in particular is a position that faces the most uncertain future at the club. While Ole book has already helped pen the signing of talented young centre back Joane Gadou from RB Salzburg, club captain Emre Can is still out injured for the foreseeable future. This, coupled with Süle’s retirement and the looming possibility that Nico Schlotterbeck leaves due to a reported release clause means that there could still be a need for significant restructuring. There is also no guarantee that Ramy Bensebaini doesn’t seek pastures new as the player is turning 30 and Waldemar Anton has also been linked with a possible departure, with Premier League clubs and Atletico Madrid all seemingly interested.

Ole Book confirmed that departures were very much possible, especially if players performed exceptionally well at the upcoming World Cup and while Dortmund don’t need to sell, Dortmund’s new sporting director did indicate that the club needs to “manage resources wisely”. With this summer set to be a big one for the club, Dortmund are likely prepared for some of these eventualities and could still be very active in the market when it comes to the defensive contingent of the squad. Let’s take a look at some options and how they may be able to fill the gaps caused by some of these possible departures and extensive layoffs.

The sustainability of recruiting from within

First and foremost, it’s important to take a look at what options Dortmund have in house. Aside from the aforementioned Schlotterbeck, Anton, injured Can, Bensebaini and new signing Gadou, Borussia Dortmund’s options at centre-back include academy standouts Luca Reggiani, Filippo Mane and Mussa Kaba. Reggiani on his part has featured across 513 minutes of senior football this season, scoring his first goal for the club in a 2-0 win over Augsburg in the Bundesliga. Mane, who started brightly after the departure of Aaron Anselmino to Chelsea after his loan was terminated, suffered a thigh injury vs Hoffenheim and was sidelined until April. Kaba, while also talented, is yet to make his first professional start.

If Dortmund do not make any more sales, having the likes of Reggiani, Mane and Kaba waiting in the wings could be enough, but should further shake ups occur and considering Dortmund’s luck with injuries, they may be forced to take on a larger load of minutes than they are ready for. In terms of these players, Reggiani may instead benefit from a loan, as would Mane. Kaba, due to his versatility, also plays as a defensive midfielder and is likely where we would see the young Germany u-17 international feature more prominently Book’s aforementioned comments also suggest Dortmund are not excluding the idea of additional departures, making it even more imperative for the club to identify players that can replace senior starters quickly and efficiently or carry the burden of minutes when called upon.

Kacper Potulski

The first name that comes to mind in terms of possible reinforcements is Mainz’s Kacper Potulski. Potulski starts off this list as a young, but stalwart possible addition to this Dortmund defence. Potulski had a sensational season with Mainz, having shown some very strong defensive performances throughout his time in the Bundesliga, with the young Pole even scoring against Bayern Munich as an extra additive.

Potulski is a right footed centre back often lauded for the physical nature of his play. He is aerially dominant, winning 3.23 aerial duels per 90 this season. He also contributes with 1.53 interceptions, 1.27 blocks, and 6.20 clearances per 90; numbers that highlight his defensive abilities despite his young age.

The physical nature of his play makes him a handful for any striker he comes up against, something that Dortmund’s own Serhou Guirassy came to realise in the club’s latest clash against Mainz. Despite his side losing 4-0, Potulski came on and put in a commendable performance, chipping in with 3 tackles, 4 clearances and 5 recoveries. He also won all of his 3 ground duels, making his presence very much known.

Potulski is also an asset in attack. His aforementioned goal vs Bayern showed his ability to get into great scoring positions. His run during Mainz’s set piece found him in position to deftly head the ball past Manuel Neuer, giving Mainz the spark they needed to get an eventual draw at the end of the matchday. In the game against Dortmund, despite coming on as a sub, Potulski had five touches in the opposition box and created two chances. In a side like Dortmund, there is a strong chance that these numbers would become more consistent.

Of course, Potulski is far from perfect and still has quite a bit to learn. One area in particular is his ability to play accurate long balls. While some of Potulski’s performances have shown he has the ability to play the ball out from deep and switch the side of play the way Schlotterbeck does for Dortmund, this is not a cornerstone of his play-style. Considering how much Dortmund has relied on this from all its centre-backs in recent seasons, this may be something we would want to see Potulski lean more into, or the impetus will fall on the other defensive options to do more of this.

Both Anton and especially Bensebaini have also shown the ability to progress the ball forward successfully, so even if Dortmund were to bring in Potulski as a replacement for either of these players, it shouldn’t be too much of an ask for the Dortmund defense to cover for cumulatively and it would give him time to develop these skills, especially considering he is only 18. In an ideal world however, Potulski would come in as an option next to Schlotterbeck, considering his right footed nature and style of play could complement the German international, allowing him to push further forward while Potulski hangs back.

Bundesliga experience is also a plus for Potulski, as the Pole has shown his ability to adapt quite quickly to the German top flight. Mainz have the young Polish cenre-back tied down to a contract until 2028, and with his current market value sitting at €12m, per Transfermarkt, they will be unlikely to want to part with him easily. The effort may be well worth it for Dortmund as securing Potulski would add sound, but youthful depth to their defence.

Youri Baas

Ajax’s Youri Baas is another option Dortmund may want to consider stepping up interest in, especially in the scenario that one of the club’s senior centre-backs ends up looking to leave this summer. Baas has had an exceptional season for Ajax, having played 2760 minutes of football and chipping in with four goals and one assist from his defensive position on the pitch.

One of the first things that caught my eye with Baas was his ability to put in clean, sliding tackles. His ability to do so reminds me very much of some of the plays we’ve seen from both Schlotterbeck and Bensebaini, who have both shown they are capable of such precision stops. In terms of the numbers, he averages 1.86 tackles and 1.01 blocked shots per 90. He also boasts an impressive 4.57 recoveries per 90. These abilities would serve him well in Dortmund’s current set up, and could see him playing to the left of Schlotterbeck, with Anton or Gadou on the opposite end of the back three.

Baas also stands out for his ability to play with the ball at his feet. The player has found himself pushing forward into midfield for Ajax on a number of occasions, and his ability to turn with the ball has allowed him to put it into dangerous positions for his teammates to get a chance off. This chance creation also lends itself to his ability to provide his teammates with accurate long balls. His pass success percentage for the season sits at 92.4%, and this propensity for accurate long balls is highlighted very well by his assist to Mika Godts in Ajax’s 3-3 draw vs Sparta Rotterdam. The long ball was perfectly weighted to his Belgian teammate, allowing him to run onto it and bury his shot deftly in Rotterdam’s goal. Baas also averaged 0.33 successful dribbles per 90, which is commendable for a center back to say the least.

The player is also versatile and like Bensebaini, can also play left-back if necessary. This would also be important for Dortmund to consider especially if a player like Bensebaini leaves, and incoming left-back Kaua Prates needs an extended period of time to settle in, which is not unlikely. Otherwise, it would mean that Daniel Svensson would have to once again play an extortionate amount of minutes without proper rest. While it is clearly not the goal to slot him in this position for any extended period of time, Baas does have the tools to perhaps take some minutes off of Svensson in a pinch or amidst an injury crisis.

In Baas, Dortmund would secure a long term, talented option at the centre of the park that could help directly offset the loss of most of Dortmund’s current starting centre-backs (barring Schlotterbeck, at least in terms of level of play, not profile). At 23, he is at the right age where a move to a club like Dortmund makes sense. His contract is also up in 2028 like the aforementioned Potulski and Ajax would likely not want to let him go for any less than his reported €20m, per Transfermarkt. In all likelihood, the transfer fee in question would very much exceed this figure.

That being said, there is clearly more than one option for Dortmund to consider for the summer transfer window should additional departures in the defensive end of the park occur. Considering the age profiles of some players, such as Bensebiani or Anton, bringing in another youthful defender to either deputize or replace them would be very sensical, especially where the latter is concerned. There is no time like the present for Dortmund to reinforce, as Book in particular has brought a new sense of energy and impetus to Dortmund with fresh ideas for squad planning, and a vision to make Dortmund competitive once again.

GGFN | Brian Szlenk