With Borussia Dortmund’s happy 2-1 win, Gregor Kobel underlines that he is BVB’s king transfer of recent years. Niklas Süle could become the number one right-back – Karim Adeyemi, on the other hand, is not yet a reinforcement for Borussia. The findings on the Dortmund threesome.
BVB – Kobel is the king of transfers in recent years
Borussia Dortmund has bought 16 players in this and the past four seasons, which cost a higher transfer fee than Gregor Kobel. BVB transferred 15 million euros to VfB Stuttgart in the summer of 2021. A comparatively cheap amount that already paid off in the previous year. If you look at the transfer periods mentioned, the keeper turns out to be the Dortmund king transfer of recent years.
A torn muscle slowed Kobel down for a good month this season. During this time, BVB, with deputy Alexander Meyer in the box, conceded eleven goals in seven competitive games, only twice they kept a clean sheet. If Kobel was in goal, twelve times this was the case, there were seven clean sheets – and only eight goals conceded.
Of course, these numbers should not be interpreted as a criticism of number two. Meyer did a good job, especially with the ball at his feet, but you could see why he hadn’t made it into the Bundesliga before in his career – and how badly the team lacked Kobel’s class.
In his twelve games he has already delivered seven (!) strong performances: in the Bundesliga against Leverkusen, Freiburg, Hertha and now in the flattering 2-1 victory in Frankfurt. He held up well in Seville in the Champions League and saved a penalty in the 0-0 draw against Manchester City during the week. And in the DFB Cup, Borussia would have been eliminated without Kobel’s sensational saves against second division side Hannover 96.
Gregor Kobel best BVB keeper in this millennium?
The Swiss, who is tied to the club until 2026, is a clear reinforcement in the goalkeeper position compared to previous years and may even be Dortmund’s best keeper of this millennium. His unfortunate slip-up against Union Berlin, which put BVB on the losing streak early on, doesn’t matter much.
His strengths are complex: Kobel has a great charisma, is good in one-on-one situations, appears self-confident and communicative and has a positive effect on his teammates with his ambitious nature. He is safe with high balls, he shows good timing in positional play, Kobel is often involved in the build-up and is safe with the ball at his feet.
But most importantly, the 24-year-old simply holds numerous balls that are difficult to hold. “Gregor is an outstanding goalkeeper,” said BVB coach Edin Terzic after the success in Hesse: “We can rely on him 100 percent. We would still be happy if he had less to do.” That’s it: Those who support BVB will hope that Kobel’s brilliant saves won’t cover up the deficits in Borussia’s game…
