How signing players from Ligue 1 helped Borussia Dortmund prosper in Europe

After Paris Saint-Germain’s epic collapse against Barcelona in the Champions League, Ligue 1 enthusiasts were finding it hard to defend a top flight that has not captured a major European trophy since Marseille won the competition back in 1993. Sure, Monaco reached the final in 2004 and carry the league into the quart-finals again this season, but people continue to dismiss Ligue 1. Even though French club sides have struggled in Europe of late, the league’s exports have been instrumental in this year’s competition.

Karim Benzema helped Real Madrid overcome Napoli; Yannick Carrasco has been in good form with Atlético Madrid; Miralem Pjanic has been impressive for Juventus; Samuel Umtiti is the latest French export to have found success at Barcelona; Franck Ribéry is still influential for Bayern Munich; and Leicester City’s triumph in the Premier League would have been impossible without former Caen player N’Golo Kanté. Monaco, naturally, have a cadre of French talent, but among foreign clubs, the influence of Ligue 1 is strongest in their opponents in the quarter-finals, Borussia Dortmund.

The club have no great history of recruiting from French football, but in recent years, the arrivals of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raphaël Guerreiro and Ousmane Dembélé have been unqualified successes, especially compared to their recruitment domestically and from other European leagues. The trio’s near-seamless transition from midtable sides in France to the Champions League quarter-finals is a testament not only to their abilities, but also Dortmund’s recruitment policy and the way they have helped the players acclimatise.

Aubameyang became just the second player in more than a decade to sign for Dortmund from Ligue 1 in 2013 but, unlike Dembélé, he was an established player, 24 years old and with more 30 caps for Gabon. Guerreiro, too, was far from callow upon his arrival, even at 23, having played four full professional seasons in France and been a key part of the Portugal side that won Euro 2016. But the inexperienced Dembélé represented a considerable risk on Dortmund’s part, given he had started just 22 matches for Rennes. The team had been burned in the recent past after signing players such as Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos, who had failed to continue to produce after a single impressive season elsewhere, and despite Dembélé’s obvious gifts, there remained some doubts.

The presence of fellow Francophile Aubameyang may have helped persuade Dembélé to join and there was also the corporate link of Puma, who sponsor Dortmund and whose chair, Francois-Henri Pinault, owns Rennes. But more than that, the club represented a place where Dembélé, still just 19, could be given opportunities to compete at a high level without pressure. The philosophy of manager Thomas Tuchel is highly youth-oriented; Dembéle, despite not turning 20 until next month, frequently lines up alongside players younger than himself, including 18-year-olds Christian Pulisic and Felix Passlack.

It is not only that Tuchel gives these youngsters chances, but that he is unafraid to experiment with them tactically. Aubameyang’s conversion from a winger to a centre-forward was something that had been toyed with by Jürgen Klopp, but Tuchel has doubled down on that notion, while also converting Guerreiro from a left-winger/left-back to a central midfielder.

Dembélé, though, has benefited most from his manager’s approach. Used wide on the right at Rennes and for France, he has been moved inside to a play-making role at Dortmund. He has excelled in his new position and says Tuchel’s approach has made him a more mature player. In an interview with L’Équipe this week, Dembélé talked about the freedom he is afforded by Tuchel and how it has boosted his confidence. “He tells me to show what I can do, my qualities, my dribbling ability. When I have the ball, it’s total freedom with a few defensive instructions, like pressing for 10 seconds or less if the ball is lost. But, really, I have freedom. It’s something that I need. I am allowed to play centrally, in the role of a No10, to change sides. It’s nice to have that confidence, as if I were 25.”

With 16 assists across all competitions, Dembélé’s conversion to a more creative presence has been impressive, but his recruitment was also approached with care, Dortmund marking their interest in the youngster at an early stage. That early interest served Dortmund’s pursuit of him well. “It was a choice that I made early last season, because I spoke with the coach early on,” says Dembélé. “I didn’t have but two or three goals with Rennes but he said he wanted me. After listening to his pitch, I told him I would sign with Dortmund no matter what happened – that my choice was made. There was interest from other clubs afterward, but it was a story of his speech, a decision on which I wasn’t about to renege.”

Tuchel’s pursuit of young players looks set to continue, as Dortmund’s recent purchase of Swedish striker Alexander Isak suggests, but that is not to suggest it is all been smooth sailing for the manager. When Pep Guardiola left Bayern Munich last season, Dortmund fans thought their team could mount a more serious title challenge this season, but the club instead sit in fourth, behind Bayern, RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim. However, given their list of injuries – including Mario Götze, Marco Reus and André Schurrle – their place in the Champions League quarter-finals and DFB Pokal semi-finals is a testament to the club’s faith in youth and their sound recruitment from Ligue 1.