Looking at the current football scene, Wolfsburg's roster has been bolstered by the addition of Dortmund's loaned player, Özcan.
The Turkish sensation, Salih Özcan, is temporarily withdrawing from Borussia Dortmund to join forces with Wolfsburg. After penning a six-year contract with Borussia Dortmund, Özcan bade farewell to his previous teammates following a training session on Wednesday.
With the arrival of national star Pascal Groß, Özcan's already limited game time took a further hit. Additionally, Dortmund's coach selected other players like Emre Can, Marcel Sabitzer, and Felix Nmecha over Özcan, favoring them in key matches. The German giants opted to sideline Özcan in their cup clash against Phoenix Lübeck (4:1) and the opening league fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt (2:0). Despite joining Dortmund for approximately five million euros during the summer of 2022, Özcan never secured a regular starting position.
The decision to loan out Özcan stemmed from the intensified competition for playing time within Dortmund's squad, with favorites like Pascal Groß, Emre Can, Marcel Sabitzer, and Felix Nmecha consistently finding their way into the first team. To ensure their players receive ample opportunities, Dortmund's transfer policies might be subject to scrutiny.
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Borussia Dortmund opted to loan out Özcan to Wolfsburg for several purposes, albeit none of the reasons were explicitly disclosed. However, it can be inferred that the loan was part of Dortmund's plan to manage their squad and provide Özcan with more playing opportunities, seeing that he wasn't securing regular minutes with the first team.
The loan agreement came into effect in 2024, and when Felix Nmecha sustained a ligament injury, Dortmund recalled Özcan from his loan spell in Wolfsburg to address their midfield depth. The recall was also influenced by Dortmund's transfer window strategy, which focused on signing a winger and a defender rather than a midfielder.
In essence, Dortmund's motivation to loan Özcan was both to manage their squad and provide him with additional playing time. The recall from Wolfsburg was a temporary move to address midfield depth later reinforced by their winter transfer window strategy.
