Should Borussia Dortmund Consider a Neven Subotic Summer Transfer to Arsenal?
Borussia Dortmund may be in the midst of the business end of a most troubling season but that hasn't stopped the rumour mill from firing itself back up and linking some of Jurgen Klopp's key players with moves away from the club.
The topic of this week's transfer grapevine is that of Neven Subotic who, according to The Mirror and ESPN, has attracted the attention of English Premier League giants Arsenal as well as a whole host of Serie A teams including Juventus and Roma.
Yet with just one year remaining on his contract, is it time Dortmund cashed in on their long-serving central defender?
The most obvious advantage to selling the Serbian tackler would of course be the opportunity to then bring in another ball-playing central defender alongside Mats Hummels and get Dortmund back to playing the attractive, attacking football that wins them games.
Much has been said about the disruptive nature of Sven Bender and Sebastian Kehl in the centre of Dortmund's midfield and the manner in which it breaks down any attacking intent, but the same theory also applies to Subotic's aimless punts up the park.
If we take a look at the defender's passing against Hamburg on Saturday—a classic example of a game in which Dortmund's defence looked flat and without any intent—we can see, via Squawka, that Subotic is a keen believer in the old fashioned "if in doubt, punt it out" style of play.
This would work perfectly in a lower-league game across the UK, but at Dortmund and under Klopp the defender really should be behaving much smarter on the ball. In Germany, home of Franz Beckenbauer and the modern libero, the appreciation for an attack beginning with the last line of defence is appreciated more than anywhere else.
This is where Subotic falls behind his old partner in crime, Hummels, as well as the new challengers to the throne, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Matthias Ginter.
Dortmund may have once had a strong record-breaking back line built upon Hummels and Subotic's partnership but those days are long gone. Klopp's defence is in need of a shake-up and that may spell the end of Subotic at the Westfalenstadion.
One of the unfortunate aspects of Subotic's game is of course the manner in which injuries continue to litter each and every season he's had at Dortmund. Although the club seem to be synonymous with recurrent injuries among their top players, very few have found themselves on the injury list quite as often as the central defender.
A theme that continues to repeat itself at the club and one that bothers Subotic and diminishes his importance to the team with every passing game that he misses.
According to Transfermarkt, the Serbian international has missed an incredible 74 games over the course of the past three-and-a-half seasons which, when we take out the two games he's missed this season, comes out at just under 25 games each year for the past three campaigns.
Such numbers are worrying not only for Dortmund but also for the player when we consider at the prime age of 26 such long-term injuries will only be getting more and more frequent. Subotic is an outstanding player but when it comes to his ability to play for an entire season he becomes a liability.
This then brings us full circle back around to the prospect of Dortmund selling one of their four central defenders this summer. Although Klopp would prefer to keep all four, there's a strong chance one may end up getting poked out the door.
Unfortunately this is another scenario that Subotic tends to fall behind his colleagues when we begin to rank up each player's value to the team. Club captain Hummels has pledged his allegiance to the club and spoke quite candidly about spending his career in Dortmund, while Sokratis and Ginter continue to look better and better with every passing week.
As such we're now left with Subotic as the most likely player—on paper—for Klopp to give up on this summer and sell should a club like Arsenal, Juventus or Roma come calling with a healthy transfer fee in exchange.
Subotic may be a key player at Dortmund right now, but every footballer has his price. And with contrasting styles of play and recurring injuries it may be best for Dortmund to sell the central defender and move on this summer.
