Niko Kovač compares Julian Brandt with Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala | OneFootball

Julian Brandt scored five goals and provided ten assists in 30 Bundesliga games for Borussia Dortmund last season which has led Niko Kovač to compare his playmaker to Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, labelling the 29-year-old as the third best in his position.

Speaking exclusively to Welt Am Sonntag, Kovač said: “When he plays what he’s good at, he scores goals and provides even more assists. Then, in terms of value, Jule is the Wirtz for us and then he’s the Musiala. Of course, the other two are currently ranked above him but for me, Julian is one of the top three players in the Bundesliga in his position. I still stand by that.”

At one point last season, it looked as though Borussia Dortmund would miss out on European football completely, but a sensational turnaround resulted in die Schwarzgelben in securing Champions League football this season. During a run which yielded seven wins and a draw in an eight game unbeaten run to finish the campaign, Brandt scored two and created five goals.

But as Brandt enters the final year of his contract, there’s always going to be question marks about the player’s future. The German is clearly valued by Kovač but unless they tie Brandt down to a new contract, they risk losing the player for free in 2026.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder