Can Felix Nmecha replace Jude Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund?

Felix Nmecha is already the most controversial transfer of the Bundesliga season and the new Dortmund star now faces the impossible task of replacing Jude Bellingham.

There has been plenty of off-field noise surrounding Felix Nmecha joining Borussia Dortmund. Undoubtedly, the 22-year-old made a big mistake when sharing homophobic content on social media. "I believe that some things were taken out of context,” Nmecha said in an interview with the club’s official homepage. “I'm a Christian, I love all people, and I do not discriminate against anyone. I hope that the fans will give me a chance to get to know me."

You always have to take those statements with a grain of salt. Dortmund, after all, stressed that they had lengthy discussions with the player about his beliefs and social media activity. Nmecha is 22; mistakes can happen, but the fanbase must remain vigilant and keep discriminatory belief systems in check. At the same time, Nmecha deserves a chance to show he can fit in at BVB.

But criticism wasn’t just rife about the player’s off-field behavior. Dortmund paid €30 million and an extra €5m in performance-based add-ons for the central midfielder. The initial fee on its own makes the German national team player the eighth most expensive player in club history; once the add-ons get triggered, Nmecha could, in fact, jump to the very top to joint first place with Ousmane Dembélé.

That is a steep price for a player with a Transfermarkt market value of €15m and who scored just three goals and six assists in 30 Bundesliga games last season. But Dortmund are adamant that Nmecha could be one of the players that could fill the void left by Jude Bellingham.