The 18-year-old Englishman has taken the Bundesliga by storm and may already be the most complete midfielder in the world
The slogan of Borussia Dortmund is “Echte Liebe”, which means “real love”. These days, however, it conjures up mixed emotions among Dortmund fans. For many it is a nostalgic throwback to the club’s heyday under Jürgen Klopp, when the phrase first became popularised. For others it is little more than an empty marketing jingle, a hashtag, a symbol of how a club built on working-class passion has begun to take on an increasingly corporate character.
At the human heart of this divide lies the club’s approach to young players. Over the last decade, Dortmund have made little secret of their business model: sign the world’s most promising teenagers, offer them meaningful game time in an elite environment, then look to move them on at a profit. For supporters, this poses an insoluble dilemma: under this policy, Dortmund have fielded some of the most thrilling attacking sides in Europe, playing rapid football with young hungry players. But by the same token, is it entirely possible to attach real love to someone who may well leave in a couple of years?
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