BVB View: Leadership and creativity are missing in attack, Jadon Sancho is the answer:

This season, with few exceptions including a strong Champions League campaign, Edin Terzic's team is showing a worrying lack of rhythm, bonding, collective and individual form, tempo, and a lack of flow and the fifteen point gap to Bayer Leverkusen is testimony to it.

There is a sense of a lack of commitment at the club in 23/34 and that is the one cardinal sin the hard-working people of the former steel and coal-mining region of the Ruhr Valley cannot forgive.

A lack of leadership in the centre:

The failure to 'close the deal' against Mainz 05 at the end of 22/23 may still be weighing-down on the team:

The 'vibe' around the club, who are currently sitting in fifth place, but just four behind fourth-placed Leipzig, is not good right now.

It was always going to be a big leap of faith giving the captaincy to Emre Can. Marco Reus will be thirty-five in May, whilst he still provides the leadership and creative impulses, he can no longer play through a whole season.

Even at his peak the Dortmund-born Germany international was injury-prone, what stood between him and becoming one of the true greats of the world’s game.

Emre Can's strength has always been that he is versatile. He can play both in defensive midfield, and is a utility man in defence.

However the gamble of giving the Frankfurt-born player the captaincy does not look like paying off so far, the team has looked rudderless.

Can is frustrated, and it is hardly surprising to hear about his flirt with Napoli in recent days.

Emre, has always had the talent and the stature to become a true great, but neither Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Liverpool nor Juventus for that matter have been able to get long term optimal contributions from him.

In spite of his fourty-three caps for Germany, the twenty-nine-year-old is still trying to find a club where his impressive skills can really come to fruition, in the form of consistent form.

In terms of looking at Dortmund this season, what is most evident is a gaping hole in the centre. Without last year's top performers Jude Bellingham and Raphael Guerreiro, who left the club for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively in the summer. Dortmund's game is sorely lacking leadership.

In particular, in midfield, there is a disconnect between defence and attack. Felix Nmecha, with few exceptions such as in the game against Werder Bremen in October, so far has not looked like having the scope to fill that gap.

The season’s highlight is the Champions League form, the team has exceeded expectations and unexpectedly finished first in a tough group which included PSG and Newcastle United.

In the league, there were some impressive wins in particular, the 4:2 win over 'Gladbach in November, and the win with the same result at Freiburg's Europa Park in September. However, these cannot hide the lack of consistency.

There is a visible lack of creativity, initiative and tempo this season. In spite of the considerable income from transfers of €160m this summer, only just over half has been invested so far and it shows.

Sebastien Haller's recovery from his cancer-scare has appears to have lost momentum, he has picked up just two goals in his eleven starts this season.

However Haller has been included in the Ivory Coast squad for the African Cup of Nations, which kicks off on January 13, and the hosts are rated among the favourites for the title.

Some goals and a title win with ‘The Elephants’ could restore some of the French-born former West Ham United's goal mouth confidence and benefit Edin Terzic’s side once more.

Losing a player of Jude Bellingham's calibre, creativity and leadership was never going to be easy to move on from, but that is exactly what BVB have to do. It may take some time however.

A major concern is that in the past three seasons there has been too much dependence on a key player. First it was Erling Haaland and his goals, and then the presence and attacking skills of the former Birmingham City player Bellingham.

Dortmund are forced to be a selling club and cannot afford to rely on individual players to pull them through when they are going to be sold to balance the books at the end of the season. It is just too disruptive and short-termist.

What makes BVB great is the infectious team spirit and the link with the yellow wall faithful but that connection has to be reflected across the team.

What has impressed this season has been the form of Donyell Malen and Julian Brandt:

Donyell Malen, who has scored five goals so far this season, and Brandt are really shining in the side right now. The interest from Manchester United comes as no surprise.

One question that has arisen is why Brandt has often been played on the wing? One option would be to move the former Bayer Leverkusen super talent to the centre, where creativity is so missing.

BVB in current form simply look too predictable. The ball was being held too long in the back line both at Bochum and in the opening game against Cologne. This made it comparatively easy for opponents to block spaces and crucially win balls.

This weakness has been evident throughout the campaign, and given that neither of the new full-backs Ramy Bensebaini nor Julian Ryerson are known for their offensive prowess, resolving this is urgent on Edin Terzic's 'to do' list.

Perhaps the rumoured loan of Netherland U21-international Ian Maatsen loan from Chelsea could be the answer?

Maatsen is a versatile player who can play anywhere on the left wing and could develop into a Top Tier left wing-back. The signing appears to make sense.

It has been 11 years since BVB's last Meisterschaft title, in spite of the two DFB Pokal wins, Dortmund fans are starved of success.

Based on recent performances, the fans are starting to become unsettled. In particular, the lack of investment in the side is an issue rousing the ire of the supporters.

Although sporting director Sebastian Kehl is only in his second full season in charge, questions are being asked about his performance so far. The atmosphere at the club has been better.

The return this week of former players Nuri Sahin and Sven Bender in the place of Armin Reutershahn, in the assistant manager role has lifted moral and strengthened Terzic’s position, but results must follow.

A solution from Manchester United?

In terms of potential solutions, the signing of additional capacity on the wing would crucially free up Julian Brandt.

The Bremen-born Germany international makes his biggest contribution in a central position in midfield. Brandt had an outstanding 22/23 season, playing in fourty-two matches across all competitions this season and scoring ten goals.

Brandt can be expected to continue to play a crucial role under Edin Terzic, and has more than earned the contract renewal, which now runs until 2026.

An ideal candidate for the wing and one name that keeps resurfacing is that of Manchester United's Jadon Sancho.

Writing in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a regular reporter on Dortmund, Freddie Rockenhaus, also underlined Dortmund's weakness on the wing, and suggested that 'unsettled' Jadon Sancho was 'more than open to a BVB loan return'.

The January transfer window opened on the first, the rumours about a return of the London to the Westfalenstadion are getting hotter once more. Quizzed by Kicker Sportmagazin BVB's sporting director Sebastian Kehl commented: 'preliminary conversations with Sancho's agents had taken place', but nothing more was forthcoming so far.

Jadon Sancho came on as a late substitute in the opening game of the season against Wolves, was one of the better performers, but in a poor United side in the 2-0 loss at Tottenham, and got a run out against Nottingham Forest. Since then an all too public bust up with coach Eric Ten-Haag and poor form kept him on the bench.

Jadon Sancho wants to go, and BVB needs his quality:

The England player looks uncomfortable when he is not playing on the wing, and has underwhelmed since returning to the English league. The media in the UK has been speculating for months that United coach Eric Ten-Hag has 'run out of patience' with the twenty-three-year-old.

The Daily Mail today report that United want ‘to secure a loan deal until the end of season with a valuation in the order of ￡38m’ for the winger.

Would that be affordable for a Dortmund newly-minted with this summer’s record Real Madrid transfer?

Jadon Sancho was a phenomenal success in his time with BVB. The South-Londoner made 137 appearances and scored 51 goals between 2017 and 2021. He quickly advanced to not just an all-important player, but also a fan favourite.

Not just on current showing, Edin Terzic's team would benefit from a player of Sancho's proven quality, and above all leadership, especially in the attack.

Dortmund, as a club, are no strangers to recalling former players who have misfired elsewhere. Bringing players back for considerably less than what they got in the first place is a tactic that the club has successfully been implemented many times over the years.

Nuri Sahin was sold to Real Madrid for €10m in 2013 and was brought back after two seasons. Japan international Shinji Kagawa was bought back from Manchester United in 2014 for €14m, after selling him for €22m. Mario G?tze was sold for €37m and returned from Bayern Munich in 2016 for €22m. Mats Hummels was bought back from Bayern in 2019 for €30m, after being sold for €38m.

Recalls are a tactic that has worked well for BVB and should be tried again with Sancho but with a buy back clause.

From a sporting point of view; a Sancho transfer makes perfect sense for both sides. Sancho has lost his place in the England side and with the European Championship this summer in mind, he will be wanting regular plying time.

BVB needs a leader sooner rather than later. However, there is a catch, the England winger would have to make significant financial sacrifices for a potential return.

Sancho is one of the top earners at Old Trafford. He currently earns a reported salary of €18m per season. This is three times what the winger was earning in Dortmund. United also have a contract until 2026 with an option for a further year’s extension, which they will want to cash in on.?

Even with Jude Bellingham having left for Real Madrid for in excess of €100m, BVB are unlikely to break their current salary brackets, which are the second-highest in the league, but still currently 40% lower than those of Bayern Munich, for the winger.

Even if BVB's Sporting director, former captain, Sebastian Kehl, can persuade the club to meet the wage demands, a return of the England winger would make him the highest paid player by far at BVB. On current form, at least Kehl would be unlikely to want to break the salary bands to commit to this transfer.

Borussia Dortmund reported a €30m trading profit in November, the club are in good financial shape. However, BVB have never paid more than the record €35m the club paid for Ousmane Dembele in 2016. Even though the need is apparent, the money men, surrounding the club's CFO Thomas Tress, are unlikely to want to pay for a return.

For now, the speculation continues. What is certain is that Jadon Sancho, who left Dortmund on good terms with both the club, and crucially the fans, is guaranteed a warm welcome at the Westfalenstadion. Every mention of a return of the England winger has sent BVB fan social media into ever more raptures in recent months.

Sancho wants to leave Old Trafford. If the terms can be met, a Sancho return, even if only in the most likely form of a loan, can not just reignite the Londoner's career but also give BVB the leadership they crave.

In particular alongside friend Marco Reus in the attack. a Sancho loan or transfer back to BVB could be effective as long as Sancho finds his form again.

For the sake of Sancho's career and Terzic's tactics, this is a transfer Sebastian Kehl's will want to confirm.