Will Haaland's exit mark the start of a new era?

Borussia Dortmund's preparations for life after Erling Haaland began as soon as they agreed to include a €75 million ($78.3 million) release clause in his contract. And now the time has come for another "Umbruch" — or rebuild.

The Norwegian's exit was as inevitable as his golden touch in front of goal, one which made him a fan favorite despite his inherent mercenary status. Beyond the 86 goals he scored in 89 appearances, it was a burning desire to improve and learn that set him apart — both of which are qualities Dortmund are looking to demonstrate as a club in the wake of his departure. 

With several parts moving at the club, Haaland's move to Manchester City may not be the most significant change in what could be a seminal summer for the BVB. 

Profit over progress

For the best part of Bayern Munich's decade of domestic dominance, Dortmund have found themselves stuck in a constant state of "Umbruch" with questions asked of everything from their will to win on the pitch to their long-term strategy off it.   

While actual silverware in that period may have been limited to two German Cups (2017 and 2021), they have , nevertheless, forged a reputation as a club of opportunities. Namely the opportunity for young players to bolster their personal and professional development at the highest level, often in the Champions League, as they took the step from unproven talent to household name.

It was that reputation that proved a key trump card in luring Jadon Sancho from Manchester City, beating Manchester United to Jude Bellingham and even keeping Haaland out of the grip of RB Leipzig — despite him already being on the Red Bull conveyor belt in Salzburg.

But with that also came the opportunity — indeed the open invitation — for Europe's elite clubs to trigger release clauses. During the latter stages of Michael Zorc's 17-year reign as sporting director, it was a role Dortmund not only accepted, but actively encouraged. 

The aim was to produce short-term flips for profit as the likes of Christian Pulisic, Ousmane Dembele, Sancho and most recently Haaland, joined for substantially smaller fees than they were sold for.

Indeed, Borussia Dortmund may have spent more than any other Bundesliga club in the past decade (€762 million), but they've also recouped the most (€876 million), giving them a league-best profit of €114 million over that period.

For BVB supporters who remember their club almost going bust in 2005, it's been a much more welcome financial strategy. It also helped insulate the club against the worst effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw Dortmund lose more money than most (around €4 m per game) for every match played behind closed doors at the Westfalenstadion, Germany's largest stadium.

But the short-term nature of those deals hasn't helped the club close the gap on Bayern Munich, behind whom they have finished runners-up on six occasions.

"We made €285 million less in terms of revenue than Bayern in the last fiscal year," Zorc told local newspaper WAZ. "That difference means that Bayern can afford roughly ten [Serge] Gnabrys more than us in terms of wages."

Upheaval on and off the pitch

In departing, Zorc has left behind a legendary legacy that took the club from the brink of financial ruin back to the pinnacle of German football, whilst discovering the likes of Jürgen Klopp and Robert Lewandowski along the way.

But his approach has run its course and failed to produce a swansong to leave on in his final season.

Instead, Dortmund were knocked out of the German Cup, Champions League and Europa League unceremoniously, while finishing second in the Bundesliga without ever really posing a threat to Bayern's tenth title in a row. Those results not only failed to convince Haaland to prolong his stay, but also saw them drop below RB Leipzig in terms of their UEFA coefficient. 

"No one pats you on the back for second place anymore in Dortmund," said Zorc. "This atmosphere is a danger for the club. We have to get away from considering it a failure when we don't finish as champions."

With that warning in mind, wholesale changes are being made. Haaland's departure is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle on and off the pitch.

Edin Terzic, who delivered Dortmund the 2021 German Cup, has been reinstated as head coach after Marco Rose failed to deliver in his debut season. He will be joined by Peter Hermann, the most successful assistant coach in Bundesliga history. 

Further up the club's pyramid, former captain Sebastian Kehl has promised to bring his "own style to the table" as he steps into Zorc's shoes and says he's "confident of managing the task at hand." 

For all the personnel changes though, there also appears to be a new mindset under Kehl, where progress is being prioritized over profit. 

Tweaking the transfer policy

While the end of Zorc's era was defined by mutually beneficial deals, Kehl's early decisions suggest he has a more selfish streak as he reinvests in the squad.

"We'll always have this debate [about mental strength], the leadership issue. But players who already have all those qualities are, in most cases, too expensive for us," explained Kehl. "I want to have loud players here who really buy into this club, who are hungry to rip it up."

Replacing Haaland is an impossible task, but the silver lining of his departure could be a shift in focus back to the collective strength and core ideals that make up BVB’s fabric. Already this summer, Niklas Süle, Nico Schlotterbeck, Salih Özcan and Karim Adeyemi have all bought into Kehl's vision of Dortmund's future.

With the exception of Süle, they are players who still fit the BVB bill of being relatively young and unproven at the highest level, but unlike Haaland, Sancho and perhaps Bellingham and Gio Reyna in the future, there's no clear exit strategy upon arrival. Instead, they are players who could conceivably form a core for Dortmund to build around in the long-term. 

According to reports, their business dealings this summer may not be finished, with striker Seffen Tigges also leaving for Cologne. But Kehl has called for patience, warning that it may take, "several transfer periods to execute our expectations."

In the short-term, those expectations are to move beyond the "Umbruch" phase and, while the hope of Dortmund challenging for the Bundesliga title has been driven out of fans and neutrals alike for now, BVB do have a chance to stop sacrificing long-term aspirations for short-term gains.

Edited by Matt Ford.