Julian Brandt is now more important than ever for Dortmund

Following the departure of Jude Bellingham, any rebuild in Edin Terzic's squad will rely heavily upon their German playmaker.

There’s probably a decent argument to be made that Julian Brandt was perhaps Borussia Dortmund’s most important player in the 2022/23 season. There’s no doubt that Jude Bellingham hogged the limelight and the resurgence of Emre Can, Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi was truly spectacular, but few contributed more in the black and yellow than the Germany international.

A strong case could be made for Gregor Kobel, whose heroics between the posts were as spectacular as his miskick in the Allianz Arena was tragic. But, unfortunately for the Swiss shot-stopper, football is a game that lives and breathes on goals and as such we’re all likely to be hardwired into offering an unconscious bias towards the player that can create something out of nothing rather than those that bring such poetry in motion to an abrupt halt.

What also plays into Brandt’s favour in this regard is that his influence over this Dortmund side seems only set to grow and grow. And in a post-Bellingham world, Dortmund may look to their fair-haired trequartista to not only fill in for the departed England international in an attacking sense but also step up as a new leader in Edin Terzic’s team next season.