Why Borussia Dortmund Shouldn't Sell Ciro Immobile This Summer

In an odd turn of fate, this summer and pre-season transfer window has actually been much kinder to Borussia Dortmund than their Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich. The German champions have been dogged by countless rumours and a whole host of speculation linking their best players with moves to England and further afield. 

If one club has been destabilised by the European media in Germany it has most certainly been the Bavarian giants at the Allianz Arena. 

Yet one black and yellow transfer saga that hasn't let up throughout the offseason has been that of Ciro Immobile and whether he will pack his bags and give up on making it in the German top division. 

Just this week Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc told German newspaper Bild (h/t Jens Weber of ESPN FC) that the club had rejected a €12 million offer from Spanish side Sevilla for the Italian international's signature. Sevilla want a replacement for Carlos Bacca quickly and it seems as though Immobile fits the bill. 

But here's the question most fans don't seem to be asking themselves: Should Dortmund actually sell Immobile?

Aside from the simple economic sense of trying to recoup some of the money splashed on the 25-year-old last summer, giving up on the player just doesn't seem like a very smart, long-term plan for the German side. 

The most obvious point to consider throughout this saga is the simple fact that Immobile is actually a very good striker. With a low centre of gravity, a devilish turn of pace and an ability to finish unlike anyone else at the club, Immobile is—at least technically—the most appropriate forward that Dortmund have on their books. 

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Sure, his record of just three Bundesliga goals last season is one that you can hit him with all day long, but even the most stubborn regular of the Westfalenstadion would have to admit that Immobile very rarely got an honest shot at proving his worth under Jurgen Klopp last season. 

The striker may have only scored three Bundesliga goals, but what we also have to consider is that he was only allowed to start seven league games throughout the entire campaign and on 15 occasions he was brought on with 25 minutes or less time on the clock. 

Add to that Klopp's very simple tactics of lumping the ball up the park and hoping for the best, which never could or would allow the Italian poacher to adapt to any game, and you have a man fighting a season-long battle that he could never have won. 

Thomas Tuchel may well have suggested he wants to hold on to the striker, hence the decision to reject Sevilla's offer. Under more comprehensive tactics it wouldn't be so hard to imagine the Italian flourishing at the club.

Another thing worth considering when it comes to Immobile's situation is that he's not the first player to struggle with the alternative way Dortmund work. 

His partner in crime Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also far from spectacular in his first season at Dortmund. The Gabon striker arrived in the summer of 2013 yet in the following season he only managed to produce 16 goals in 48 matches for Klopp's side, including a run in the Champions League which saw him grab just one goal from nine games. 

The following summer the club felt as though they had to do something about it. Immobile was brought in alongside Adrian Ramos, yet by then the 26-year-old had found his feet and went on to have a very impressive campaign last year. All because he was given the time to develop. 

And he's not the only one. Ramos has also struggled to find his feet this season, along with January signing Kevin Kampl. Even more established stars such as Henrikh Mkhitaryan have, arguably, still to find their place at the Bundesliga side. So let's not suggest for even a moment that Immobile is the only star who has stumbled through his first year in Germany. 

Finally, we must of course acknowledge that Dortmund can't really afford to lose a decent striker unless they have plans to bring another one in very quickly. 

Aubameyang will undoubtedly keep his spot as Tuchel's front man of choice for this coming season—assuming he decides to keep Marco Reus on the left wing—but should the Gabon striker pick up an injury then Immobile is almost certainly the only real alternative. 

Ramos could come in but his own record for the club since signing from Hertha Berlin makes Immobile's look like Robert Lewandowski. Besides the Colombian, Tuchel would be stuck with putting one of his midfielders up front instead. Hardly a ploy that could get Dortmund through an entire season. 

The simple fact of the matter is that Immobile is Dortmund's second-choice striker and despite a relatively poor first season in Germany there's no reason to suggest he can't turn it around like many others in Tuchel's squad. Selling him now would only suggest the club have little more than short-term ambitions in mind. 

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