Should Borussia Dortmund Cut Their Losses with Italian Striker Ciro Immobile?

Much has been made of this Borussia Dortmund side under Jurgen Klopp this season and the manner in which it failed to reach its goals in the charismatic manager's final campaign at the club. No European Cup, no Bundesliga title, no DFB Pokal trophy or even Champions League qualification. No, this team didn't too particularly well at all. 

Now, with the arrival of Thomas Tuchel, the rebuilding of Germany's second-biggest club can finally begin. From the ashes of the 2014/15 season will arise a great phoenix with ambition and success in its eyes. Or at least that's what fans of the Black and Yellows will think. 

One player who shall undoubtedly find himself at the heart of any great rebuilding of the side is Italian striker Ciro Immobile—young and talented but not particularly well ranked in the grand scheme of things at this Bundesliga club at the moment.

Such a situation has led to unsurprising speculation and rumours of Immobile's departure from the Westfalenstadion. Linked with a move to Liverpool on a number of occasions, most recently reported by the Daily Mail on April 22, the question that will certainly need addressed at some point this season is a simple one: Should Dortmund cut their losses with Immobile and cash in on the striker?

On the face of it all, such a move makes perfect sense. Not only has Immobile failed to make much of an impression at Dortmund this season, but should a sizeable sum come in for his services, then the club could spend the cash elsewhere in the squad.

The Italian striker managed just three Bundesliga goals last season despite coming on the pitch in 24 of the club's 34 league games. It's a sizeable neglect of goals or even assists that deemed Immobile near enough useless throughout a season that offered very little for Dortmund in the Bundesliga. 

Of course, there are certain factors that have unfairly worked against the striker, the most notable being the manner in which Klopp has deployed Immobile in his side this season. 

Markus Schreiber/Associated Press

The club's top goalscorer, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has managed to bang in the goals because he largely fits the shape and style of the player he replaced—Robert Lewandowski. Quick, strong in the air and not afraid to shoot, Aubameyang was suitable to the punt-and-chase style of football that Klopp resorted to for much of the season. 

Unfortunately this isn't a style of attacking that suits Immobile. At all. Brought in from the Serie A, Immobile is a player who would much rather poach in the box or play off a No. 10 on the edge of the area. Quick in bursts, a low centre of gravity and a natural affinity with finishing the ball make him an ideal forward for most teams but very rarely any good at picking long balls out of the sky like his Gabon alternative at Dortmund. 

This is, of course, something that could change entirely now that Tuchel is at the helm. With the former Mainz manager, Dortmund may well see a return to the more traditional counter-attacking football that brought them such success in the first place.

Short passes, quick transitions and playing the ball to feet are all aspects of the beautiful game that Tuchel admires and are also factors that would help get Immobile back into this Dortmund first team. 

The final thing to consider with Immobile's position at the club is the very simple fact that Dortmund have very few alternatives at the moment. Sure, Aubameyang is knocking goals in for fun right now, but aside from the pacy striker, Tuchel won't have many other options in attack. 

Adrian Ramos, a proven goalscorer at Hertha Berlin, may well interest the new manager, but if we can go by his performances this season, then he's even further down the pecking order than the Italian international in question. 

Despite his poor form and perhaps even an inability to play Dortmund's current style of football, it would be a risky move if the club were to sell one of just three strikers on the books. If Immobile were to leave, Tuchel would almost certainly have to replace him immediately. 

As such it would seem as though the out-of-favour striker will stay at the club this summer. At just 25 years of age, Immobile does have time to try and have another go of it next season. And unless Tuchel has something drastic in mind, that's exactly what will happen, despite any interest from abroad.  

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