Kovac leaves the door open
©IMAGO
Although Julien Duranville is fit again after recovering from a shoulder injury, he is not yet a candidate for the Borussia Dortmund squad. The increased competition in the summer and the fact that coach Niko Kovac is playing practically without real wingers means that the chance of playing for the professionals is shrinking further and further. A change in the winter transfer window could help.
According to a report in the “Ruhr Nachrichten”, the players are considering leaving on loan in order to get more appearances at a high level. Most recently, Duranville was able to play twice in the reserves in the Regionalliga West and scored a goal in the 4-1 win in the small Revierderby against Schalke 04 II. Games in the fourth league are unlikely to be long-term but unsatisfactory.
And a return to the first team squad, for which the Belgian has featured 27 times since his €8.5 million move in January 2023? “It will take a while, also because the boys in his position are doing well,” explained Kovac at the press conference before the game against VfB Stuttgart. “Which doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have a chance. But it’s certainly not easy to get into our squad at the moment.”
A loan should increase the prospect of a breakthrough again and also help in terms of market value. Since the change, this has remained unchanged at 8.5 million euros. After there was frequent discussion about an appreciation in the past, the market value analysis has recently been more about a minus. “Duranville has been in Dortmund for two and a half years and has only played 700 professional minutes – and missed 100 games due to injury. After his move, he was promoted and has actually only been injured since then. Sure, he’s still young, but so far he hasn’t shown that he belongs in the professional game,” wrote “Moussa0581”.