Borussia Dortmund secured a vital summer signing yesterday when they finalized a €5m move for 1.FC Köln’s veteran French striker Anthony Modeste.
The deal for Modeste, now 34, gifted Dortmund one of the Bundesliga’s top scorers last season after he hit 20 goals for Die Geißböcke under popular manager Steffen Baumgart while helping the club finish seventh in the table.
But Die Schwarzgelben has only brought Modeste in on a short-term deal for just one year, with the Ruhr valley outfit still looking toward the future through German starlet Karim Adeyemi, and youth sensation Youssoufa Moukoko rather than blocking the progression of both of their young strikers.
Modeste has already opened up about his excitement in working with the 17-year-old as a mentor rather than a direct competitor for minutes, with whom he had previously spoken before his move to the club.
Modeste über Moukoko: „Er ist 17 Jahre alt, ich bin 34. Er ist ein Riesentalent. Ich bin da, um ihm zu helfen. Natürlich habe ich mehr Erfahrung. Ich denke, wir werden einen guten Job zusammen machen.“ Vor seinem Wechsel sprach er sogar mit dem #BVB-Youngster (2/2) @Sky_Jesco
— Sven Westerschulze (@westsven) August 9, 2022
In quotes sourced by Sky Sports’ Sven Westerschulze citing fellow Sky reporter Jesco von Eichmann, the Frenchman stated; “He’s 17 years old, I’m 34. He’s a huge talent. I’m here to help him. Of course, I have more experience. I think we’ll do a good job together.”
Though Modeste and Moukoko could well get on and form a relationship on the pitch, questions are still being asked by Moukoko if his future remains at Dortmund after the German wunderkind has yet to sign an already tabled extension that would tie him to the club until 2026.
As such, Dortmund advisor and former Ballon d’Or winner Mattias Sammer feels that the club should do a better job showing appreciation for a player of Moukoko’s ability and potential if they are to not lose the budding youngster next summer.
“He’s still young, and we as a club could perhaps have signaled to him more in the past that he can be an important factor for the team.”
“On the other hand, it doesn’t make sense for him to flirt with a transfer. There should be mutual appreciation, and that will be the case in the near future.”
