Expert insight on Brighton summer target Mahmoud Dahoud

1- What can Albion fans expect from Dahoud?

At Borussia Moenchengladbach, Dahoud, who was the first Syrian to play in the Bundesliga, had a limited impact in his first season but went on in his second season to become a central player in the midfield alongside Christoph Kramer and former BVB player Jonas Hoffmann. Dahoud made 42 appearances in a second season in which 'Die Fohlenelf' impressively finished in a Champions League spot.

However, the following season the club, now managed by Dieter Hecking, slipped back to ninth and suffered a poor campaign in the Europa League. With one year left on his contract, in 2017, on his own initiative he was allowed to depart. Dortmund bought Dahoud for €12m which put him amongst BVB's top 20 record signings of all time, a figure similar to what the club paid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Raphael Guerreiro to put it into context. Due to the fee and the crucial role he played at ‘Gladbach, the expectations were high from the offset, Dahoud was signed for BVB by Lucien Favre who he had worked with at Borussia Moenchengladbach. He was brought in as an alternative to former Chelsea midfielder Andre Schurrle who was struggling and Gonzalo Castro who also was not proving to be the expected addition in midfield that the club were looking for.

He has made 141 appearances, across all competions, however he has been unable to command a continuous place in the team although the club have been hit many changes of coaches in that time which has not helped.

In the last two seasons he has shown real potential especially against Wolfsburg, Bayern and Schalke. The performances have not been consistent however.

In terms of his qualities Dahoud completed 1.39 deep balls per 90 minutes, which was the 12th most in Bundesliga. His 100% accuracy last season for 30-plus metre balls is astonishing.

But Dortmund are more likely to play short pass combinations, as the opponents are mostly underdogs against them. So, the opponents are defending deep and the long ball disappears as a device. As a consequence, Dortmund plays a high intensity of short passes. 89% of Dortmund’s passes are classified as short passes. Coach Favre demanded in his tactics, that his pivots can build-up with vertical and diagonal balls. Also, when the opponent presses Dortmund’s central midfielders.

Properties, which accommodate Mo Dahoud’s skills. He plays 73.48 passes per match. This is the fifth-highest value in Bundesliga. Dahoud demonstrated here also a high accuracy with 91.18%. The tactical analysis below shows such a situation.

Mo Dahoud is a very strong box-to-box midfielder at a good age. He loves to have the ball at his feet and to manage the game with intelligent passes. Furthermore, he can bring a pressing component to a team. Also, he can act like a technically adept pivot like Thiago from Bayern Munich as he is also pressing resistant.

But right now, there is no place for the typical number eight in Dortmund’s starting squad.

2- Why have things not worked out for Dahoud at BVB, is it just given the form of the likes of Jude Bellingham?

In 2018/19 he was used sparingly with Axel Witsel in particular taking centre-stage but he also faced competion from Denmark international Thomas Delaney.

Jude Bellingham then followed in 2021, Jude is an absolute tour de force in BVB's midfield of course and has barely missed a game in the past year, but the signing of Salih Özcan in the summer has hampered him, the defensive skills of the former Cologne player being more in need in a side which for some time has shown defensive fraility in midfield, A highly creative and versatile player in the current season he has made only 5 appearances due to a shoulder injury he sustained in August and the surgery which followed which kept him out of the game for several months last season and again this season.

At 27 it is make or break in Mo’s career and that at a crucial time with the club in. very tight race for the title, BVB are building for success and have been deliberating for some time about his contract extension, as recently as January he was set for an extension but just one year as there have been doubts he can contribute long-term at this level.

3- Are BVB fans disappointed to see Dahoud leave?

Dahoud is well-liked in Dortmund but has not fully convinced fans, however he has repeatedly shown moments of brilliance like his goal against Sevilla in the Champions League. In 20/21 and 21/22 he made regular appearances but in spite of his skills never fully broke through over extended periods of time. I think BVB fans, like in the case of Thorgan Hazard, are resigned to Mo moving at this stage.

4- Roberto De Zerbi seems to like players who are versatile and can play in multiple positions, what positions has Dahoud played for Dortmund?

Dahoud is a bit like Ilkay Gundogan and is versatile in midfield. He is silky in possession, able to glide forward from midfield and pick out the perfect pass with the right weight at the right time, Dahoud shares a number of traits with his predecessor in the Borussia midfield. An energetic runner who is equally likely to score as he is to track back and cut out opposition attacks, he is the kind of player every coach would like in their team.

5- Many Albion fans are excited by the arrival of Dahoud and are hoping he will have a similar impact to Pascal Gross. Is that feasible?

I look at Manuel Akanji who also had difficulty getting settled at Dortmund and his incredible performances at Manchester City and I wonder whether Dahoud could likewise adapt very well to the English game. In my view players raised in the German game either adapt well like former Hoffenheim player Gross or Max Ehmers at Gillingham who has been with playing in the English game for 13 years or it does not go so well as was the case with Bastian Schweinsteiger at Manchester United or Timo Werner at Chelsea who both failed to adapt to the mentality and the style of play. On a personal level Dahoud could be attracted to playing in a mult-cultural environment and could adapt well. The qualities of German players which include discipline, commitment and high levels of professionalism are well-known.

6- Dahoud has been capped by Germany will his move to Brighton get him more regular game time for 'Die Mannschaft'?

Under Hansi Flick who has been in post since last year, with a preference given to players like Leon Goretzka or Joshua Kimmich, Dahoud has not had many opportunities in the national team in contrast to the U21 team. He was capped for 'Die Nationalmannschaft', he has gained 26 caps at junior level up to U21s and 2 for the senior Germany team. He made his debut against Turkey on 7 October 2020. He was part of the squad that won the U21 UEFA European Championship in Poland in 2017 in a side which included Bayern's Serge Gnabry and Thilo Kehrer of West Ham United.

If he performs well in the Premier League however I can see it happening but in order to achieve that he needs to play regularly.

7- What is Dahoud's special story?

Mahmoud Dahoud, called 'Mo' by fans in Dortmund, is Kurdish-Syrian but grew up in Germany and has German citizenship and was the first Syrian to play in the Bundesliga ever. He has been following the war in Syria closely where his grandfather still lives and has raised money for charities to help citizens in the country. Mo has often spoken about wanting to back to Syria, which he has not visited since childhood to help after the war. He speaks fluent Arabic but counts. An interesting fact he built an eight-a-side football pitch on the rooftop of his penthouse apartment in central Dortmund, he is football crazy and is the ultimate street footballer, old school.

8- Is it surprising that Dahoud is leaving given Bellingham being heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid and Liverpool this summer?

I think Dortmund has a very strong midfield now with Emre Can who is stunning form, Salih Ozcan and Marius Wolf who in particular have top defensive qualities and Julian Brandt who has the potential to be, and at times already is one of Germany’s best players in midfield, there are rumours of Edson Alvarez of Ajax and Garbi Veiga of Celta Vigo, in my view Dahoud cannot be a replacement for Jude the players are too different in spite of the spirited performances at Dortmund which he will be remembered for.

Ben McFadyean (pictured) is a football journalist who writes for magazines including Four Four Two, Eastern Daily Press and Gulf News and a PhD researcher on German football at the University of East Anglia, he is the founder and president of the Dortmund Fan Club London and has followed the club since the late 1980s. The Dortmund fan club London podcast can be found at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bvb-fanclub-london.