Why Letting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Go May Be a Wise Move for Dortmund

Much talk of Borussia Dortmund’s offseason has so far been dominated by the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Mats Hummels and even still Marco Reus. Will these star players be leaving Germany this summer, and if so, where will they go?

However, one of the club’s top performers, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has so far gone unnoticed by the press here in the United Kingdom and across Europe this season. Well, at least until now.

According to Shoot.co.uk (h/t the Mirror's James Whaling and the Independent's Jack De Menezes), Liverpool are supposedly now interested in signing the Dortmund goalscorer. But that isn’t exactly a bad thing.

The most notable aspect of Aubameyang’s time at Dortmund and why in fact his future at the club may be in jeopardy is simply because he is a Jurgen Klopp striker. That may seem like an odd thing to say, but when we consider how the Bundesliga side play at the moment and how the African striker scores his goals, it does indeed make sense.

Rather than the tiki-taka football of Barcelona or Bayern Munich, Klopp’s Dortmund have for at least the past two months played a very direct style of football. Instead of the short, intricate passes that tend to denote attractive, attacking sides, fans have often found much of the intent behind Dortmund’s goals coming from long balls up the park from Hummels and Neven Subotic.

This is where Aubameyang becomes so useful to Klopp. The former Ligue 1 striker is exceptionally blessed with his ability to essentially accelerate past most opponents, and in the air he offers a formidable challenge to even the tallest of defenders. Quick and good in the air, in essence; perfect for Klopp’s Dortmund side this season.

Another factor worth considering if a bid does come in for Aubameyang this summer is the fact that he has often gone missing in big games this season—at least to a certain extent.

Fans of the striker will naturally turn to his goal against Bayern just a few days ago and indeed when he bagged another against Arsenal earlier in the season. Yet, by and large, Aubameyang has struggled when the opposing defence has gotten stronger.

According to Transfermarkt, the Gabon striker has 22 goals in 43 games this season, giving him a goals-per-game ratio of 0.5, or around one goal every two games, a healthy stat that most strikers would be more than happy with.

However, that ratio falls dramatically when we consider Aubameyang’s performances against the Bundesliga’s top four sides this season.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

In six Bundesliga games against Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Moenchengladbach this season, Aubameyang has scored just one goal, while his Champions League tally of just three goals in eight games also suggests a hiccup in form.

That means the Dortmund striker’s goals-per-game ratio falls from 0.5 overall to 0.37 in the Champions League and a measly 0.16 when facing the best in German football—a sure sign that Aubameyang may not be suited to the most testing games in Dortmund’s schedule.

There is also the fact that incoming manager Thomas Tuchel may prefer to bring in his own striker or indeed opt for another one in the Dortmund squad.

As stated above, Aubameyang is perfectly suited to Klopp’s style at the moment, but that may change overnight if Tuchel indeed opts to change the manner in which his new Dortmund side will play their football.

The former Mainz manager is a keen believer in attacking football played properly. Short passes along the ground, which may suggest more natural poachers such as Ciro Immobile or even Adrian Ramos, may be better suited to Dortmund’s style next season.

If the new manager instead chooses to bring in another goalscorer, then the option to sell Aubameyang for a premium fee would surely be too good to turn down. The current Dortmund striker is a good player to have in your squad, but Tuchel could well use his sale to fund what he really wants to do with this squad.

One way or another, we’ll find out this summer.

Follow @sbienkowski