Should BVB sell Emre Can?

BVB is not averse to transferring Emre Can with a financially good offer. We discuss: Should Dortmund sell Can this summer?

3 mins reading time

2023-06-14 06:00:00

Emre Can is currently with the German national team. The midfielder has played his way back into the focus of national coach Hansi Flick thanks to a strong back series. Can’s contract with BVB only runs out for one more season, so the club is not averse to transferring him this summer if there is a financially good offer.

Yes, BVB should sell Emre Can (Thomas Schulzke)

Emre Can is one of the big winners of the second half of BVB. The defensive midfielder was on the field 16 times for 90 minutes, the only time he was absent due to a yellow card suspension. The whole truth of the past season is that the national player’s first half of the season did not go according to plan at all. The 29-year-old was on the bench five times during the first 17 games and was only in the starting XI five times.

But the last impression usually counts, so it seems negligent at first if BVB really let Emre Can go in the summer. But there is a lot to be said for letting him go with a good offer. For example, the planned signing of Edson Alvarez. The Mexico international, who is currently at Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam, is a similar type of player to Can. If the commitment works out, the future belongs to the 25-year-old in defensive midfield at BVB. Can’s deployment times would inevitably be reduced, and his mood would deteriorate.

In addition, Can, who came to BVB from Juventus Turin for around 25 million euros, is one of the top earners within the squad. Especially after sports director Sebastian Kehl managed to get Marco Reus and Mats Hummels to sign new performance-related contracts. Can’s contract runs until June 30, 2024. It’s probably his last chance to earn money with Can and save his high salary at the same time. If Alvarez comes in the summer, there is a risk that a dissatisfied Can will leave the club for free after the season.

BVB should not sell Emre Can (Cedric Gebhardt)

Admittedly, during the winter break, many would have wished for an early separation from Emre Can, in which claim and reality rarely corresponded.

But Can drew the right lessons from this after a phase of self-reflection in the winter. He was one of the faces of BVB’s upswing and embodied drive and determination like no other Borussia player since the beginning of the year. “I wanted to show how good I can be,” confessed Can – and followed up with action. In the second half of the season, the 29-year-old, in sixth place, was one of the undisputed regulars under Edin Terzic.

With his strong performances in the second half of the season, he impressively underlined his importance for BVB. Dortmund needs fighters like him in the coming season, even if Borussia should sign another square timber in Edson Alvarez.

But there are other reasons for Cans to stay: Due to Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid, BVB’s purse is well filled, a sale is not absolutely necessary for financial reasons. And even if Edson Alvarez were preferred in defensive midfield, BVB would have a strong deputy in Can. Salih Özcan would not be an equivalent replacement. Can can also help out in central defense – so his tactical variability is also a good argument for staying. Just like the already high fluctuation in midfield with the departures of Bellingham, Dahoud and Guerreiro. BVB needs stability – and for that they need Emre Can.