Pre-season winner? BVB new signing pushes for the starting XI | OneFootball

The World Cup participants are also gradually returning. Borussia Dortmund played their first pre-season matches mainly with U19 and U23 players. One new signing benefited from the makeshift squad and featured in all four matches so far.

BVB paid at least €19.5 million to RB Salzburg to lure Joane Gadou to Germany’s top flight. Although still only 19 years old, the centre-back has already proven his quality in 58 matches for the club from Mozart’s city. He has also played on the international stage, making seven Europa League appearances and as many as 30 appearances for French youth national teams.

“Joane is a modern and physically strong centre-back. He is good in build-up play, extremely quick, and still has plenty of room to develop. With his abilities, Joane is an ideal addition to our defence,” praised BVB sporting director Ole Book (40) about the new signing.

Waldemar Anton (30) and Nico Schlotterbeck (26) are likely considered automatic starters in Dortmund’s central defence. The latter, however, is still dealing with the effects of a medial ligament tear he suffered at the World Cup. As an alternative, Ramy Bensebaini (31) is ready and has already proven his reliability on numerous occasions.

Who will play against FC Bayern?

But with Gadou, a youngster is making a strong case for himself. The first weeks of pre-season have made it clear that the Frenchman is not only useful as an impact substitute, but also has a good chance of claiming a regular starting spot. In the friendlies, the 19-year-old impressed above all with his enormous physical presence and uncompromising toughness in duels. In addition, the centre-back showed that his pace allows him to stop opposition counterattacks. He displayed this combination of athleticism and speed in all four pre-season matches so far.

Photo: Getty Images

The new signing from Salzburg may currently have the edge in the internal battle against Filippo Mane (21) and Luca Reggiani (18). That makes him a strong candidate for the starting XI in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Bayern Munich (22 August, 20:30). Dortmund’s back line would then likely be completed by Anton and Bensebaini. The matches against Arsenal (9 August) and Roma (15 August) should provide further clues.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.