Keys to a Successful 2016 January Transfer Window for Borussia Dortmund

With the January transfer window now open, Borussia Dortmund supporters shouldn't get their hopes up. It seems more than likely that the Black and Yellows will not make any additions to their squad, and for good reason.

The current setup has proved to be more than capable for the club's quest for success this season, as evidenced by their impressive first half of the season.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel doesn't see a need to make signings in the winter, as ESPN FC's Stefan Buczko relayed from his press conference before the last game of 2015 at Cologne.

Since Dortmund have already sold a player this month in Jonas Hofmann, who joined Borussia Monchengladbach for a reported fee of €8 million, per PA Sport (h/t ESPN FC), one could think that Black and Yellows are now a player short, but that's not the case.

In Erik Durm and Nuri Sahin, Tuchel's side will get two players back from injury. Speaking to German tabloid Bild (link in German), sporting director Michael Zorc went as far as calling them new arrivals, as neither has played a single minute this season so far.

Versatile full-back Durm will provide decent cover on both sides of defence—he could even win the starting job at right-back—while Sahin will eventually battle with this season's revelation in central midfield, Julian Weigl, for a place in Tuchel's first-choice XI.

While neither of the two is a direct replacement for Hofmann, who played exclusively on the wing under Tuchel, Sahin's return to the squad should allow Gonzalo Castro to move to the flanks permanently.

BVB's biggest signing in the summer window in 2015, having arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported €11 million (via Transfermarkt.de, link in German), Castro has generally looked far more convincing out wide than in central midfield and provides quality depth for both wings.

Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images

Dortmund may still be looking for another player to replace Hofmann, however. A report from Bild's Moritz Leihkamm on New Year's Eve claimed the Black and Yellows were close to signing highly rated Serbian winger Andrija Zivkovic from Partizan (link in German).

According to Futbolgrad.com's Manuel Veth, "Serbian sources suggest that Zivkovic has signed a pre-contract with Borussia Dortmund for the summer." 

With the Serbian club reportedly in financial trouble, however, and the player keen to move in January, the Black and Yellows could be in a good position to snatch Zivkovic up this winter.

We mentioned Zivkovic, who came in 26th in Sam Tighe's look at 100 players to watch in 2016, as a possible replacement for Hofmann before the clubs announced his transfer to Gladbach.  

Thomas Hennecke of German magazine Kicker (link in German), meanwhile, reported on Tuesday that two of the most promising players in Dortmund's under-19 outfit will be promoted to the first team in 2016, which could be interpreted as a sign that the club won't seek to bring in another player in January.

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Felix Passlack, a jack-of-all-trades player who can fill a number of roles, and Christian Pulisic, a skillful attacking midfielder, will train with Tuchel's squad but only play for the first team at a pinch. Both players impressed at the recent Under-17 World Cup in Chile for Germany and the United States, respectively.

With Passlack only turning 18 in May and Pulisic reaching that age in September, however, fans shouldn't expect to see them on the field for Tuchel's side anytime soon—in all likelihood, they'll merely provide cover while benefiting immensely from training at the highest level.

At any rate, it looks like the most work for Dortmund's decision-makers will not be about adding to the squad but about making sure key players stay at the club for the long term.

With the deals for Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan—among others—expiring in 2017, BVB will be engaged in contract talks rather than transfer negotiations for much of January.

Lars Pollmann is a featured columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for Yellowwallpod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.