Why Dortmund may have no choice but to sell Jamie Gittens this summer

Jamie Gittens’ decline under Niko Kovac highlights the tactical shift at Dortmund, where the club’s growing emphasis on structure over individual flair may lead to the young winger’s sale this summer.

Borussia Dortmund’s victory against Wolfsburg on Saturday was emphatic. In a season that fans of Die Schwarzgelben have been unable to take anything for granted, they would have certainly been thanking their lucky stars when Ralph Hasenhüttl's dishevelled side showed up at the Westfalenstadion. Whether it was Serhou Guirassy’s exquisite finishing, Waldemar Anton’s stoic defending or the remarkable impression Karim Adeyemi made, scoring a brace within his first six minutes of being on the pitch, Niko Kovac’s team exemplified a side full of purpose and talent.

Well, most of them anyway. Since Kovac took over in early February, only Bayern Munich have won more points than Dortmund as they’ve marched from 11th to 5th in the league table. As such, last season’s Champions League finalists now sit just one point off the top four. And while Kovac can be credited for improving the performances of most of Dortmund’s underachieving squad - even Julian Brandt has looked like his old self in recent games - one player has stood out in stark contrast. An outsider, immune to the feel-good vibes that have reinvigorated this squad. And it was once again on show on Saturday.

Despite starting the Wolfsburg game, Jamie Gittens did very little in the black and yellow of Dortmund on Saturday. The 20-year-old talent didn’t log a single shot (on or off target), he managed just one pass into the opposing box and despite Dortmund’s dominance of the ball and chances throughout the game, the left winger didn’t register a single touch of the ball in the opposing box. For Kovac’s team to beat Wolfsburg so emphatically demanded an impressive performance, but to do so without their left winger offering anything at all was down-right miraculous.