BORUSSIA Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke rarely passes up an opportunity to mention that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was his “good friend”. But there is substance to the claim.
Without the two men’s excellent personal relationship, it would have been much harder if not impossible for the Black and Yellows to pull off one of the transfer coups of the season: the signing of Madrid full-back Achraf Hakimi on a two-year loan.
The 20-year-old was not an immediate success at Signal Iduna Park. New manager Lucien Favre was reportedly unsure about his defensive application and left him out of the team for the first four Bundesliga games.
Achraf Hakimi this season in all competitions:
Appearances: 19
Goals: 2
Assists: 7#RMCF pic.twitter.com/eVM97C7bpt— Ed Smith (@EdwardSmith_78) January 26, 2019
His league debut came in the 7-0 annihilation of 1.FC Nürnberg, which included a first goal, too. It would be a slight exaggeration to say Hakimi transformed Dortmund’s attacking game but there’s no doubt that the league leaders have looked much more fluid and dynamic with him marauding forward like an auxiliary winger, on either flank.
In the fourteen Bundesliga games he’s started, Dortmund have dropped a total of two points. (Their only domestic defeat of the season so far, a surprising 2-1 loss at Fortuna Düsseldorf in late December, came when he Favre was resting him)
The Moroccan international still makes the odd mistake with his positioning; at times, his relative inexperience shows. But these are minor complaints. His runs forwards are irrepressible.
They provide valuable support for whoever is in front of him and have also freed up false nine Marco Reus from taking up wide positions. BVB’s captain has enough players around him and can thus focus on getting into more dangerous central areas.
Dragonball Z goal celebrations are officially a thing.
Introducing: Borussia Dortmund's Achraf Hakimi and Marco Reus.
*Insert remark about feeling old here * pic.twitter.com/bu7ku5IbCx
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) January 28, 2019
Best of all, however, is Hakimi’s ability to cut in onto his right foot when he plays as an inverted full-back on the left. He scored a wonderful goal that way in last week’s 4-1 win over Hannover 96. The league hasn’t seen a wide defender proving this effective on his “wrong side” since Philipp Lahm switched flanks half-way through his career.
Even by elite European standards, there can’t be many better attacking defenders in the game at the moment. Dortmund, though, don’t just benefit from Hakimi. It’s been a mutually successful partnership.
The player dodged one of Madrid’s worst season and instead joined BVB ahead of their best campaign since Jürgen Klopp’s departure. Favre’s by now legendary attention to detail has helped him greatly to fulfil his potential, as have the Swiss manager’s tactics and a well-balanced team dynamic.
Last season, when Dortmund struggled to find any sense of momentum under two very different managers and lacked togetherness in all areas, Hakimi’s high levels of self-confidence might have been detrimental to himself and his team-mates.
Dortmund's player department director, Sebastian Kehl on Achraf Hakimi: "Unfortunately, we only loaned him for two years and it's going to be difficult to sign him. Real Madrid are following his development." pic.twitter.com/LxhhtgoCeQ
— RMOnly (@ReaIMadridOnly) January 28, 2019
Now that Thomas Delaney, Marco Reus and Axel Witsel have taken control of the dressing room, the young players’s natural exuberance is being channeled sensibly. Dortmund’s only regret in signing this rather sensational young man is that Madrid are extremely unlikely to let them make the move permanent.
Marcelo and Dani Carvajal don’t quite hit the heights anymore, and Hakimi is set to overtake them both by the time his loan has run its course in the summer of 2021. Sadly from the Germans’ point of view, there is no option to buy, and Madrid would be silly to even contemplate a sale.
Perez and Watzke are close, but friendship only goes so far when it comes to tussling for the services of a future world class player.
