It has been queried by many an active follower of football as to whether Mats Hummels, Borussia Dortmund and German international defender, will venture overseas to the Premier League this summer. The rumour mill has produced echoes in the direction of Manchester United, who have been targeting the 26-year-old since the Bundesliga hotshot was fresh from winning the World Cup in Brazil, but also Arsenal.
Arsène Wenger is no stranger to recruiting some sturdy, methodical German talent; Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker and Mesut Özil (of whom fans seem to enjoy ridiculing when his form dips even merely), to name a handful. However, it is Louis van Gaal’s Mancunian side that seem especially poised to procure the German.
Despite whispers regarding Hummels’ potential move following the end of the current season, it appears that the world champion is seeking recognition as the new one club man of Jürgen Klopp’s squad; the Steven Gerrard of Dortmund, if you will. Club chief, Michael Zorc, also seems comfortable that Hummels possesses no desire to up sticks and head to England, even if Dortmund have been in poor shape these past few months, and no better very early on in the term.
Hummels signed with Dortmund back in 2009; with six years under his belt, it could be imagined that a move would be vital for career progression, but others may deem his longevity at the club a sign of stability and lack of need to find a place in another team. With Dortmund now sitting rather happily in tenth place (well, more so than they were warming the relegation zone just months prior), Hummels is likely to feel a protective urge to remain with Dortmund and try to secure them a decent position from the very beginning of the 2015/16 season. Dwindling on the edge of failure is not exactly in the nature of a team such as Dortmund, especially when they generally offer Pep Guardiola’s tirelessly flawless Bayern Munich a run for their easily-earned money.
Hummels has speed and precision on his side, along with a calm, collected demeanour; I have always rated his defensive technique and, although he could be a fantastic addition to Manchester United, feel he would be best placed remaining at Dortmund, let alone any tittle tattle regarding Arsenal. Gelling with a whole new team might not be worthwhile for a player who is utilised so well where he already resides; I, for one, also prefer watching him in the Bundesliga. This could well be my bias towards German football sneaking in, though. But, in all seriousness, Hummels is ideally suited to Dortmund, and might just be another major signing to precariously teeter on the line of true success at a big, wealthy Premier League side, if he were to re-think his contract.
Main Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images
