Left Wanting Mor: Emre Mor Quits Dortmund For Celta Vigo
Another day, another last minute transfer involving Borussia Dortmund, who have agreed to ship Emre Mor out to Celta Vigo in La Liga for a fee rumoured to be around €13 million. When Mor joined the German side last June, he was one of several top quality young players brought in by the club, including fellow summer departure, Ousmane Dembele. At just 18, Mor is one of the brightest future stars in all of football, whose 1 on 1 dribbling ability is as good as any his age. He possesses incredible short area quickness, and watching him with the ball at his feet echoes the work of another diminutive (Mor is generously listed at 5’7) attacker, currently plying his trade for Barcelona.
Dortmund’s transfer strategy last summer seemed to be about injecting individual skill into the squad. Signings like Dembele, Mor and the return of Mario Gotze marked a sharp increase in the number of players in the side capable of winning 1 on 1 dribbles and take ons. Having lost their best playmaker, Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Manchester United, Dortmund had a huge hole to fill on the right flank. Their response was so rapid in signing Dembele, Mor and Andre Schurrle that few worried about the loss of such an important player.
In addition to a very public managerial change to open the summer, resulting in Peter Bosz replacing Thomas Tuchel on the touch line, the club once again had a busy summer on the transfer market. Like last summer, in which the team was desperately trying to replace the creativity lost in the Mkhitaryan deal, the club has again flooded their squad with a fresh injection of young talent all over the pitch, giving Dortmund one of the most enviable and talented young squads in world football.
It seems as though the deal was pushed through by Mor’s camp, who had seemingly become concerned over the last year that the Turkish talent might be buried in the large and talented squad at the Westfalenstadion. With at least 3 signings this summer capable of playing in wide positions, in addition to the emergence of Christian Pulisic last season, Mor might have had trouble getting into Bundesliga matches in the immediate future, something of a major concern for a teenage footballer. While Mor is full of individual ability and flair, his passing ability, as well as his Footballing IQ are not yet at the level required to become a playmaker for a big club, but he should get the time to develop those traits at Celta Vigo.
Having finished 13th in the top heavy La Liga last season, Celta Vigo will supply Mor with a smaller stage than his former club, but a much larger expected role. As the most expensive signing in the small Spanish club’s history, Mor will be an instant sensation for the fans, eager to see a player of such exciting abilities. If he is to fulfil his potential, Emre Mor will need to add significantly more goals and assists to his game, but he is now in a much better position to do so with frequent playing time and a smaller stage on which to become a star. There is no question that he has not played for his last big European club, and fans would be wise to remember the pint sized talent, as he will surely be dazzling the world’s audiences before too long.
