BVB: From Barrios to Haller

Donyell Malen, Karim Adeyemi, Anthony Modeste – they all recently came to BVB and they all came with the promise of scoring goals. That didn’t go so well. Does BVB have an offensive problem?

At least the Dortmunders have managed to sign good strikers several times in recent years – but there have still been one or two flops. SPOX gives an overview.

BVB: Lucas Barrios (2009)

Came from Colo Colo for €4.2m.

Barrios needed a few games to start up, but then ignited and put on an impressive streak. Between matchday eight and matchday 21 in the Bundesliga, he was only directly involved in at least one goal in two games. In the end, he had 23 goals and six assists in 36 competitive games.

The following year things went well for the attacker. He contributed 41 competitive games, 21 goals and ten assists in his first year as a champion under Jürgen Klopp. He started his third year at BVB with a torn muscle. He lost his regular place to Robert Lewandowski. Dortmund finally collected 8.5 million euros from China for Barrios. A short but profitable time – athletically and financially.

BVB: Robert Lewandowski (2010)

Came from Lech Poznan for €4.75m.

In his first season at BVB, he was often used as a joker from the bench. Sometimes as a pure centre-forward, but sometimes also as an attacking midfielder, he scored nine goals and four assists in 1983 competitive minutes. But he had his big breakthrough the following year.

In 47 games he scored 30 times and prepared twelve goals. He shot BVB to the double. In the cup final against FC Bayern alone, he managed a hat-trick. The rest is history. The Pole shot Dortmund into the final with ten goals in the Champions League in 2013 – where he failed because of his future employer. Because in 2014 it went to Munich on a free transfer. Still one of the best transfers BVB has ever made.

BVB: Julian Schieber (2012)

Came from VfB Stuttgart for 5.5 million euros.

57 games, six goals, four assists, only 1287 minutes. Schieber almost never met BVB’s requirements. That’s why it went to Hertha BSC in 2014 – after all, you could still earn 2.5 million euros.

BVB: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (2013)

Came from AS St-Étienne for €13m.

At first he started on the flank, where his performances varied quite a bit. With 21 goals in 48 competitive games, he already indicated his potential as a goalscorer. With his switch to the center forward position, he finally made his breakthrough. In doing so, he later left behind two players, Immobile and Ramos, who were specially brought in to inherit Lewandowski.

Until 2018, the Gabonese was still chasing goals for BVB, scoring 141 goals and 36 assists in 213 competitive games. Aubameyang was a key player for BVB for a long time and even made Lewandowski’s departure forgotten for a while. When he left Arsenal, he cashed in around 63.75 million euros despite disputes with Dortmund. More is hardly possible.

BVB: Ciro Immobile (2014)

Came from Torino for 18.5 million euros.

The Italian was actually intended as a Lewandowski replacement, since Aubameyang was quite convincing on the wing. But Immobile never found his rhythm and later even felt excluded from the team. His complaint about not being invited to dinner by fellow players is legendary.

After 34 games, ten goals and three assists, BVB’s time was over again. Immobile was first loaned to Seville and then sold for eleven million euros.

BVB: Adrian Ramos (2014)

Came from Hertha BSC for 9.7 million euros.

Things were going much better for Ramos. Considering that he was mostly only used as a joker, 19 goals and nine assists are remarkable. But there wasn’t much more in it. After 79 appearances, he moved to China in 2017 for 12 million euros.

BVB: Alexander Isak (2016)

Came from AIK for 8.6 million euros.

The Swede arrived as a promising talent but never found a foothold in Dortmund. Two goals in a meager 280 minutes is all he could give the pros.

However, Real Sociedad paid €15m for him after a short loan spell in the Netherlands. It was there that he made his breakthrough into professional football. Later it even went to Newcastle United for 70 million euros.

BVB: Maximilian Philipp (2017)

Came from SC Freiburg for 20 million euros.

Not a pure centre-forward, but definitely a dangerous attacker. At BVB he was mostly used on the outside, but he was never able to assert himself.

Became increasingly a flop over the years. His 19 goals in 51 appearances were not what was expected of him. Luck in disguise: Dynamo Moscow paid for Philipp in 2019 the amount that BVB once transferred to Freiburg.

BVB: Paco Alcacer (2018)

Came on loan from FC Barcelona. The following year, BVB paid 21 million euros for him.

The Spaniard made an outstanding start during his loan, scoring 13 times in the first half of the season. Then he fell into a small hole, only to turn it up again in the end. BVB then signed him for a lot of money. And also in the new season it seemed as if Alcácer could build on his strong performances.

However, injuries kept throwing him out of rhythm and in the 2020 winter transfer window BVB finally decided to give up the striker. Villarreal FC paid a princely sum of 23 million euros for him.

BVB: Erling Haaland (2020)

Came from RB Salzburg for 20 million euros.

With the Alcácer millions, BVB brought Haaland. Not a bad decision, as we now know. The Norwegian made an immediate impact, scoring three goals against FC Augsburg on his Bundesliga debut and adding two braces against Cologne and Union. He scored 13 times in 15 games.

Haaland continued to impress on all levels in the following seasons. After 89 competitive games, 86 goals and 23 assists, Manchester City paid 60 million euros for Haaland.

BVB: Donyell Malen (2021)

Came from PSV Eindhoven for €30m.

For Eindhoven, the left winger scored 55 times in 116 games. There were also 24 assists. At BVB he doesn’t come close to such numbers.

62 appearances, eleven goals, nine assists – that’s the Dutchman’s poor yield. It is possible that BVB will soon see whether they can get back part of the 30 million euros.

BVB: Sebastien Haller (2022)

Came from Ajax for €31m.

With his experience, he should ensure that Haaland’s departure is compensated. He then fell ill with testicular cancer and unexpectedly missed BVB until 2023. He’s still struggling to find his rhythm there.

BVB: Anthony Modeste (2022)

Came from 1. FC Köln for 5.1 million euros.

Because Sébastien Haller was suffering from testicular cancer, BVB needed another striker. A solution had to be found in a difficult market within a very short time.

Ultimately, the choice fell on Anthony Modeste. The Frenchman has only scored twice in 16 games so far. His personal highlight: the late 2-2 equalizer against FC Bayern. Otherwise he gives little to Dortmunders.

BVB: Karim Adeyemi (2022)

Came from RB Salzburg for 30 million euros.

Not brought as a nine, but definitely with the promise of scoring goals. Disappointed at first on the right side and struggled to connect to the BVB game at all.

In the second half of the season, Edin Terzic moved him to the left – and suddenly exploded. After three goals in three appearances, however, he was injured and is now out.