Paco Alcacer set for Borussia Dortmund debut

alcacer

Summer arrival Paco Alcacer is set to make his Borussia Dortmund debut on Friday night following his one-year loan signing from La Liga’s Barcelona. The Spaniard will add much needed fire power to BVB’s frontline following the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal in January while they were unable to sign Michy Batshuayi on a permanent deal.

Alcacer had a troubled time at Barcelona, hence his season-long loan deal to Borussia Dortmund. The 25-year-old scored just 15 goals in two years at Camp Nou while he was given just 22 starts. It’s a huge shame given Alcacer arrived in Barcelona with high expectations after coming through Valencia’s youth academy but with Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar ahead of him in the pecking order, it was always going to be difficult.

“I have the best striker in the world ahead of me, to the right the best player in the world and on the left the best in the near future,” said Alcacer. “It is very complicated, and I have to work day to day to be prepared when [I have] the opportunity to play. I feel privileged to participate and I hope I will be here for many years. I’m very happy.”

Now that chance has been and gone, it’s time for Alcacer to show Barcelona just what he can do. At Borussia Dortmund, the Spain international is going to get a chance to showcase his abilities in a Dortmund side that are missing your typical forward.

Marco Reus and Maximillian Philipp can of course play as the No. 9 but the duo would much rather support the striker. Lucien Favre’s only other viable option is 18-year-old Sweden prodigy Alexander Isak. The youngster has a huge weight on his shoulders given his Zlatan Ibrahimovic comparisons but with the arrival of Alcacer, Favre has four options he can pick from – something that will prove important once their Champions League fixtures are underway.

Upon his arrival in Dortmund, Alcacer praised the development of the league, stating that it’s an exciting league to play in while die Schwarzgelben’s famed Yellow Wall is just one reason he picked the Bundesliga club over other potential suitors.

“I’m really looking forward to playing in the Bundesliga,” he told the club’s website. “It’s one of the best leagues in the world, and the unbelievable fans and the famous Yellow Wall terrace make Dortmund something magical for any footballer.”

With 43 goals in 125 games in all competitions for Valencia, Alcacer has shown that he has an eye for goal – something that Dortmund need. With previous strikers such as Lucas Barrios, Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Michy Batshuayi, Alcacer has big shoes to fill. The No. 9 is a position that has been held in high regard in the past decade while the Spaniard is expected to become an integral member of the squad under Favre.

Alcacer featured in Borussia Dortmund 6-0 friendly win over VfL Osnabruck. His performances not only impressed Favre but also fellow teammate Jacob Bruun Larsen.

“He understands football. He moves forwards, he moves backwards, so we can use him to combine. It works with him,” Favre told Kicker.

Early signs certainly suggest that not only the coaching staff, but players have been impressed with Alcacer’s mentality and professionalism on the pitch and training ground.

“Paco has made a really good impression. He’s a brilliant finisher. I expect him to succeed at BVB, and our job is to help him,” added Bruun Larsen.

And with a start against Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday night a real possibility, Alcacer could hit the ground running and fans have every right to be excited. They’ve got themselves what was the hottest striker in Europe before his move to Barcelona while his desire and hunger to succeed at Dortmund can only put him in their good books.

Of course, he’s going to have to work hard and while moving to a foreign country is never easy, Alcacer is in the right place if he wants to succeed. We’ve seen the likes of Christian Pulisic and Jadon Sancho settle in to life in Germany rather quickly while the duo are extremely content with life at Dortmund. Many will hope that Alcacer can follow in their footsteps while fans will be hoping he can bring goals to their already impressive frontline.

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