Player Focus: Why A Dortmund Deal Suits Aubameyang

Rarely has such a proportion of the European football media's interest revolved around the comings and goings in Ligue 1, but with moneybags PSG and now Monaco willing to splash some ridiculous cash to secure success, in the short term at least, many an eye has been cast towards France's top flight this summer.

The likes of Falcao, Moutinho and Rodriguez have all settled for the high life with newly promoted Monaco, while the Parisian giants continue to be linked with world football's biggest names. One player, however, who unquestionably sees his future away from Ligue 1 is Saint Etienne forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has attracted widespread interest from across the continent.

In England, it comes as no surprise that Newcastle have been mooted with a big money move, having seemingly kept tabs on every single player to express an interest to leave Ligue 1. The likelihood of such a transfer, however, is questionable given the Gabon international’s evident desire to play in Europe next season.

Indeed, the 24-year old confirmed exactly that in an exclusive interview with WhoScored.com recently, stating: "I don’t know if it will be the Champions or Europa League, but for sure, at this point in my career, I need to play in Europe."

With the Magpies falling way short of their 5th placed benchmark from the 2011/12 season, ending the last campaign in 16th, it seems the North East would not be Aubameyang's preferred destination. Instead, interest from Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund seems to have culminated in the player and his father meeting with the Bundesliga outfit, and the Saint Etienne man expressed his admiration for Jurgen Klopp's side when he spoke with WhoScored.
 

"I have seen a lot of Borussia Dortmund’s matches, and I love their style of play. My characteristics could match perfectly with the style of play adopted by Jurgen Klopp. I know they followed me recently, so we have to see at the end of the season."

With the loss of Mario Götze still smarting with many a Schwarzgelben fan, and indeed the manager, who described hearing the news of the wonderkid's transfer to Bayern as 'like a heart attack', there is a void to fill at the club. With uncertainty also still surrounding the future of star striker Robert Lewandowski, Aubameyang's versatility could come in very handy at the Westfalenstadion.

For consecutive seasons Klopp has seen his side lose their key playmaker in behind the striker, and while the Gabonese forward would not be a like-for-like replacement for Götze, his arrival could potentially allow Marco Reus to have more of a central role in the side. Aubameyang is capable of playing on the wing or as a central striker, but he isn't a number ten.

He did, however, flourish when Brandão came into the side for les Verts last season having been moved out wide to accommodate for the Brazilian. Indeed, in 18 league appearances from a wide position Aubameyang netted 12 goals, compared to the 6 he scored in as many appearances as the starting centre forward.

If he were to join Dortmund, and Lewandowski stayed at the club, the likelihood is that he would take Marco Reus' position on the left, but that certainly isn't where he's been at his best. Instead, the Saint Etienne man has excelled on the right side, scoring 9 goals in 9 league appearances from that flank, so Klopp would need to decide on the most appropriate arrangement between Aubameyang, Blaszczykowski and Reus.

The former German champions would certainly look to utilise his pace, attacking, as they do so well, on the counter. Only five teams in Europe's top 5 leagues scored more goals from fast breaks than Dortmund last season, and it’s a feature to their game that Aubameyang could really contribute toward. No player in Ligue 1 netted more goals on the counter attack last season than the forward's 3, which is a tally superior to any Dortmund player last term.

Klopp's side were one of only 4 teams in Europe last season to have an average shot accuracy in excess of 40% and this is another area in which Aubameyang really thrives. The 24-year old had the best accuracy in Ligue 1 of all players to attempt at least 50 shots last season (53.3%). Meanwhile, of the 25 players to score more than 15 goals in Europe's top 5 leagues his figure was only bettered by the man he may either replace or join at Dortmund, Robert Lewandowski (54.1%).

In a creative sense he matched the tallies of both Reus and Götze in terms of assists (9), doing most of his best work in and around the box. Indeed, a cross accuracy of 16.5% from 127 attempts is not great, but he's not a traditional winger when asked to play out wide. Instead he offers another goalscoring option with players able to find his runs infield and into the box with crosses or through balls.

While his delivery into the danger area may not be of the highest standard, his final pass is often of real quality and that's what has earned Aubameyang his impressive assist tally. Indeed, although as many as 143 players registered over 5 assists in Europe's top 5 leagues last season, only 25 were able to better the Saint Etienne star in terms of the percentage of their key passes that created clear cut opportunities for their teammates (26.3%).

In addition, Aubameyang was one of only 19 Ligue 1 players to set up at least 10 'big chances' for teammates and only the outgoing Götze (15) and right-back Lukasz Piszczek (11) did so more for Dortmund last season.

It's clear that the Gabonese player would add firepower to Dortmund's current ranks and his qualities, particularly on the counter, suggest that he may well fit in with the style under Klopp as he claimed. Where he would find his place in the current 4-2-3-1 formation is unknown but one thing is for sure. If the Bundesliga runners-up follow up their interest in Aubameyang, he'd jump at the chance to make the step up to the Champions League with the hipsters’ favourites.