In recent years, Borussia Dortmund turned their head towards players from England. Not that they completly neglected the other parts of the world (on the contrary) but finding young English players and turn them into quality (and expensive) products has become their thing. Just look at Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham. To be fair, Sancho has so far managed to shine only in Borussia but he still has plenty of time to prove he is not a failure. On the other hand, Bellingham has turned to be a irreplaceable player for Real Madrid. And Dortmund moved on and found another young Britt – Jamie Gittens. Former Reading and Manchester City player moved to Germany in 2022 and this was supposed to be his season. He was the starter and so far was involved with 15 goals but suddenly, he is the ’victim’ of the new coach Niko Kovač.BVB’s waking up with a Guinean signatureAfter initial losses, the former Bayern Munich coach managed to turn the ship around and the club recorded two wins in a row for the first time this season. In both wins (6-0 against Union and 2-0 against St. Pauli), Gittens came in as a sub near the very end of the game.”You can tell that he is frustrated at the moment. But in the end it’s about the team – Jamie knows that too. He is still incredibly important for the club and has made a difference. But it’s good for us that we have this competitive situation” said sporting director Sebastian Kehl.Jude is not enough: Madrid are after another Dortmund gemThere are two main goals for Dortmund – to somehow finish fourth and earns a Champions League spot for next season, and to go as longer as possible in the current addition on UEFA’s competition, and the main reason behind both goals is clear – money. So, the sporting sector is currently not so concerned that their main asset (valued at 50 million euros) is not playing at the moment, as the higher cause it’s at stake. Don’t expect Gittens to start against Lille tonight, as Adeyemi and Beyer will make it to the starting 11 again. And if the trend continues or if Dortmund fails to qualify for the Champions League, expect Gittens to be the first on the door.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – ROUND OF 16First legTuesday 20.45: (2.85) Club Brugge (3.25) Aston Villa (2.55)23.00: (1.80) Dortmund (3.60) Lille (4.60)23.00: (3.80) PSV (3.45) Arsenal (2.00)23.00: (1.87) Real Madrid (3.50) Atl.Madrid (4.20)Wednesday 20.45: (5.60) Feyenoord (3.70) Inter (1.65)23.00: (1.82) Bayern (3.60) Leverkusen (4.40)23.00: (3.80) Benfica (3.60) Barcelona (1.95)23.00: (2.45) PSG (3.45) Liverpool (2.80)***odds are subject to change***
