PROFILE | Casper Jander: Why the German prospect is a match for Borussia Dortmund | OneFootball

With the Bundesliga season’s close now well within sight as we enter the end of April, clubs will be looking more intently at potential moves they can and will be making in the upcoming transfer market. Borussia Dortmund is certainly one club that will be looking to this upcoming summer window to help right the ship after a very underwhelming season domestically.

Depending on Dortmund’s eventual league finish however, any sort of business Dortmund will look to conduct will really come down to the financial situation that finish will leave them in. Dortmund, while certainly still in the middle of a domestic upswing with big wins over Mainz, Freiburg and Borussia Monchengladbach, are still not guaranteed European football, let alone their usual dose of Champions League competition and the financial booms that come with it. They do however have Club World Cup money, and whatever money they make off of potential sales.

More reports seem to surround the departure of high profile players such as Jamie Gittens, and despite Lars Ricken’s recent interview stating the Englishman has not put in a transfer request, the club may yet receive some tantalising bids for the player this coming summer.

Dortmund will also seemingly look to offload more bit-part players such as Salih Özcan and Gio Reyna, with the prospective rebuild resulting in the club moving on a few more players to both make space and raise funds for incoming targets. This, coupled with the aforementioned Club World Cup funds, would make for substantial available financial firepower.

With this in mind, it’s important to highlight that one of the areas of interest the club will be likely to upgrade will be midfield. The likes of Marcel Sabitzer, the aforementioned Özcan, Emre Can (in that midfield position), Felix Nmecha and Pascal Groß have had a tumultuous time this season due to both the drop off in quality of play in some cases, and injuries in others. Dortmund will look to do smart business on this end, and get as much ‘bang for their buck’ as they can with incoming signings to help rectify this matter. One such player that the club could look into is FC Nürnberg’s Caspar Jander.

While I’m usually very much a vocal supporter of the club looking outside the confines of Germany for a more diverse and broader array of talent, Jander is a player I take exception to particularly because of the exemplary 2. Bundesliga season he has had, in addition to the clear interest he’s already getting from Bundesliga clubs such as Stuttgart, Freiburg and Bayer Leverkusen. At time of writing, Jander’s goal contributions for the season stand at a very tidy three goals and six assists across 27 2. Bundesliga appearances from defensive midfield. He is quite creative for a defensive midfielder in terms of chance creation, with the former Schalke youth academy product creating 1.46 chances per 90 this season.  He also excels in terms of dribbles (0.69) and fouls won (2.10) clearly highlighting what a menace he can be outside of the defensive duties his position demands.

On the defensive side of things, Jander loves to put in a solid tackle, winning 2.06 tackles per 90 as a result. He also wins 58.5% of his duels and averages 5.83 recoveries per 90, making him more than capable of being responsible for winning back possession and starting a lethal counter attack, especially if we take his more forward thinking numbers into account.

Numbers aside, Jander has often been lauded for his skills on the ball, aforementioned ability to dribble, and ability to handle pressure. He is also a very athletic player, helping him maintain a robust presence in midfield – something that Dortmund could have used very much this season. His ability to retain the ball would significantly improve Dortmund’s current midfield security, and his ability to move the ball forward and create chances in his own right would add a very lively and effective element to a midfield that has often both had trouble creating said chances, or acting as a buffer for the midfield to help soak pressure.  At 22, it would very much be the right time for Jander to try his luck in Germany’s top flight, something that Dortmund could very much play a role in should they get involved in the race for his signature.

Of course, Jander’s signing wouldn’t be one that would be aimed at making him a first team player right away, but his with his current market valuation sitting at €5m, there’s a chance Dortmund could make this signing work in the low eight digit range, perhaps closer to €10-15m, which shouldn’t put too much strain on their budget for this coming summer. His current contract runs until 2028, which, coupled with his performances, would account for some level of uptick in any final sum any club would have to pay for his services.

With players in the midfield set to possibly make a move elsewhere, Jander fits in perfectly as a player that could start out as a solid addition in terms of midfield depth, but has the potential to become a future mainstay in Dortmund’s midfield should he continue to progress. It would be up to the club to convince Jander of a pathway leading him to that role, especially with clubs like Freiburg and Stuttgart showing interest, as there is always the chance that they could offer him a quicker step-up to regular top tier football.

GGFN | Brian Szlenk