Why a Move for Mario Gotze Would Be a Great Idea for Borussia Dortmund

It'd be easy to dismiss the rumours about the possible return of Mario Gotze to Borussia Dortmund as typical international-break nonsense. On Tuesday night, tabloid Bild (link in German) dropped a report that claims the Black and Yellows are actively thinking about getting their prodigal son back from Bayern Munich.

Bild, like most tabloids, aren't overly reliable, and international breaks are notorious for spectacular—but also spectacularly false—rumours.

However, this isn't the first report linking Gotze with a return to his boyhood club. Respected BVB journalist Freddie Rockenhaus (link in German) floated that very idea in Suddeutsche Zeitung earlier in March, and other reports—for example, in daily paper Welt (link in German)—have since picked it up.

It still seems somewhat far-fetched, but the real question isn't how likely it is, anyway. The real question is: Would it even make sense for Dortmund?

Gotze is undeniably a once-in-a-generation talent, but he hasn't put his talent to good use for Bayern in the last two seasons. Injuries have taken a toll on the 23-year-old, who's played in only 12 games across competitions this season and has only started one since early October despite being fully healthy since mid-February.

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The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner would be a reclamation project for the Black and Yellows. If one only looks at all his skills, he'd be a fantastic fit for Thomas Tuchel's side. A brilliant technician, Gotze could play any number of positions for Dortmund.

He'd be an improvement over Shinji Kagawa in a No. 10 role, he'd be a candidate to play up front as a fluidly moving central forward and he could play on the wing in Tuchel's system, where full-backs provide width while the wingers often make inward runs.

One of Gotze's problems at Bayern is Pep Guardiola's focus on wing play, for which he isn't a great fit, as Christopher Ramm of Bayern blog MiaSanRot.de (link in German) detailed. In the Catalan's system, Gotze is the odd man out, since he'd probably have to beat out Thomas Muller—playing in the form of his life this season—for more playing time.

At Dortmund, Gotze wouldn't necessarily be a sure-fire starter, but he'd have a much easier path to the pitch.

Since the Black and Yellows would get him for a relative bargain—his contract at the Allianz Arena expires in 2017—it'd be foolish not to at least think long and hard about the 23-year-old. If Tuchel can unleash his full potential, Dortmund would get a world-class player.

There is, however, an elephant in the room.

The Ruhr side have never shied away from welcoming back players who left for bigger clubs but failed to make their mark, as the transfers of Nuri Sahin in 2013 and Shinji Kagawa last season proved. The club's supporters celebrated the return of both players.

The situation would be much different for Gotze, who couldn't even warm up in front of Dortmund's infamous Yellow Wall when he returned to Signal Iduna Park with Bayern. 

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Gotze left his boyhood club for the Bavarian rivals in 2013 thanks to a buyout clause, only two months after saying he could see himself finishing his career at Dortmund in an interview with local paper Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (link in German).

Many fans felt and still feel betrayed by Gotze, and it's hard to envision a scenario in which he'd be received with open arms by the same people who threw fruits and lighters after him the last time he visited the Westfalenstadion.

It would take a lot of effort from the club and the 23-year-old himself to repair what was broken three years ago, and both parties could well decide it's not worth it—Gotze won't suffer from a shortage of suitors, anyway.

That being said, we can't help but think that a move for Gotze would be a great idea for Dortmund.

It would be a crucial test of the marriage between club and supporters, granted, but Tuchel's first season in charge should already have bought Dortmund enough leeway to bring one of Europe's most talented players in, regardless of his baggage.

Lars Pollmann is a Featured Columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for YellowWallPod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.