How Borussia Monchengladbach could have lined up if they hadn’t sold their star players
After five seasons with Borussia Monchengladbach, Thorgan Hazard looks set to be leaving the club with a move to fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund expected.
The Belgian has revealed he has made a “personal agreement” with Dortmund, and looks set to become the latest addition to a long list of promising players Monchengladbach have allowed to move on.
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Despite this, the club has managed to constantly challenge for a Champions League spot in recent years and currently sit just three points behind fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt this season.
It could be argued that Monchengladbach would be pushing Bayern Munich and Dortmund a lot closer for the title, had they managed to keep hold of their biggest players over the years.
Here, we take a look at some of the stars they have sold over the years and put together their best possible XI.
Goalkeeper: Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 127
Current club: Barcelona
Career value: £10.2m
A product of the Monchengladbach youth set up, Marc-Andre ter Stegen rose through the ranks at Borussia-Park playing for the under-17s, under-19s and reserve team before making it to the first team.
Ter Stegen was a key part of the Monchengladbach squad as they cemented their spot as one of the top four sides in the Bundesliga.
After three years as Monchengladbach’s number one, the 27-year-old moved to Barcelona in 2014 – where he is now the first choice goalkeeper. He has since won four La Liga’s (including this season), four Copa del Rey’s and a Champions League title in 2015.
Centre-back: Tony Jantschke
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 254
Current club: Borussia Monchengladbach
Career value: N/A
Another product of the Monchengladbach youth set up, Tony Jantschke rose up the ranks to the very top and captained his side for most of the 2014/15 season and the start of the following season before injuries limited his playing time.
Despite only making 13 league appearances this season, Jantschke still remains an important player for the club and can be utilised either as a centre-back, right-back or defensive midfield.
Centre-back: Dante
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 103
Current club: OGC Nice
Career value: £12.7m
A late bloomer, Brazilian Dante’s career only really kicked off a few years after he joined Monchengladbach.
Signing from Belgian side Standard Liege in 2009, Dante struggled at the start of his Bundesliga career – as did Monchengladbach. But his change of fortune came when the German side started their climb up the table and he was rewarded for his part in that when Bayern Munich came knocking.
A trophy-laden four years at Bayern, which included four league titles and a Champions League, came to an end when Dante signed for French club OGC Nice in the summer of 2016. He has so far made 121 appearances for the French club.
Centre-back: Roman Neustädter
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 68
Current club: Fenerbahce
Career value: N/A
Roman Neustadter joined Monchengladbach from Mainz 05 in July 2009 but did not make his mark on the first team until the winter of 2010/11 when injuries and the loan of Michael Bradley to Aston Villa gave him an opportunity.
The Russian international became a mainstay of the Monchengladbach side for the next 18 months, missing just one game as they qualified for the Champions League at the end of the 2011/12 season.
Neustadter left the club for Schalke that summer, staying at the Veltins-Arena for four years before joining Fenerbahce in July 2016.
Centre midfield: Christoph Kramer
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 156
Current club: Borussia Monchengladbach
Career value: £12.9m
Christoph Kramer first joined Monchengladbach on a two-year loan from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013.
During his two years at Borussia-Park, Kramer missed just five league games as he became a key part of the side that was establishing themselves as a competitive Bundesliga club.
Kramer returned to Leverkusen in 2015 but joined Monchengladbach on a permanent deal in the summer of 2016 and has duly filled in the gap left by Granit Xhaka.
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Centre midfield: Granit Xhaka
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 140
Current club: Arsenal
Career value: £45.5m
Signed from Swiss side Basel after just 18 months of first-team football, Xhaka did not take long to assert himself in the Bundesliga, picking up four yellow cards in his first five league games.
Despite being cautioned 10 times in his second season, the Swiss international was trusted with the captain’s armband in 2016 and led his side to Champions League qualification.
His performances for Monchengladbach caught the eyes of Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, who forked out a rare bid – for him – £38million on the then-24-year-old. He has played 130 times for the Gunners and become a regular in the side.
Centre midfield: Mahmoud Dahoud
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 76
Current club: Borussia Dortmund
Career value: £10.2m
Mahmoud Dahoud joined Borussia Monchengladbach’s academy as a 14-year-old from Fortuna Dusseldorf and after four years with the youth sides was called up to the first team squad in 2015.
Despite his age and a poor start to the season, Dahoud showed signs of skill and promise that continued to his final season with Monchengladbach.
Links to Liverpool were reported but it was Dortmund who secured the signature of Dahoud. He played 23 league games in his opening season for the club.
Attacking midfield: Marco Reus
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 109
Current club: Borussia Dortmund
Career value: £15.4m
One player who knows about making the move from Monchenbladbach to Dortmund is Marco Reus.
Arguably the best player Monchengladbach have allowed to leave, Marco Reus joined the club in 2009 from then-2. Bundesliga side Rot Weiss Ahlen.
Despite two poor seasons for Monchengladbach, Reus came to life in the 2011/12 season scoring 18 goals – when Dortmund came knocking.
He recently extended his contract at Dortmund to 2023.
Left wing: Amin Younes
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 28
Current club: Napoli
Career value: £2.2m
Amin Younes joined Monchengladbach as a six-year-old in 2000 and built his way up through the ranks to make his first-team debut in January 2012.
However, the young winger failed to make an impact on the starting XI and flitted between the second team and the bench before being sent on loan to 2. Bundesliga side Kaiserslauten in 2014.
A year later, he was sold to Dutch side Ajax where he originally bloomed, being involved in 30 goals in his first two years at the club before heading to Napoli on a free transfer in 2018.
Right wing: Thorgan Hazard
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 179
Current club: Borussia Monchengladbach
Career value: £8.5m
Joining Chelsea in the same month his older brother Eden did, Thorgan Hazard looked to become another casualty of the Blues’ talent hoarding before his move to Monchengladbach.
Hazard originally joined the German side on loan in 2014 and after a promising season at Borussia-Park, creating seven goals and scoring one, Monchengladbach made his move permanent in 2015.
Now in his fifth season at the club, Hazard has grown as a player and looks likely to be the next Monchengladbach player to leave, reportedly reaching a personal agreement with Borussia Dortmund.
Centre forward: Raffael
Borussia Monchengladbach apps: 190
Current club: Borussia Monchengladbach
Career value: £16.7m
Journeyman forward Raffael signed for Monchengladbach in the summer of 2013 from Ukrainian Dynamo Kiev, having spent the first half of the year in the Bundesliga on loan at Schalke.
The Brazilian’s experience has proven key since signing, scoring 72 goals in 190 appearances in all competitions for the club.
