Upon his signing, no other than Juergen Klopp hailed Ciro Immobile as the ultimate warrior and a remarkable striker. One deflating year later, the former Torino striker could be sneaking out the back door again. Unusually frank comments from both him and the club now reveal the scope of the rift and why this situation shapes up to be a real test of character for Immobile. The reasons for an exit lie in the past, those for continuance in the future. So what will weigh heavier for the 25-year old?
Ciro Immobile has been the first Italian to grace a BVB side. And thanks to the early Klopp laurels -perhaps not a real favour he did him in hindsight – the Italy international arrived to practically sky-high expectations: To effortlessly fill the shoes of Robert Lewandowski.
It is a recurring pattern at Dortmund, which is evocative of the Mario Goetze saga and his envisaged replacement Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Immobile on any account was over the moon when he signed to join the team at the Westfalenstadion, spoke of an ‘incredible opportunity to become one of the best strikers in the world and win titles at in one of the most structured clubs in the world’. Klopp too did not hold back the praise and enthused over Immobile’s ‘perfect size, edge and ability to play in several positions.
In spite of the Italian’s obvious differences in terms of physique and style of play compared to the Polish striker, it appeared the perfect solution, gently forcing the black and yellows to reinvent their attacking ways.
What followed is history.
The coaching team decided to innovate little and instead trusted the Italian to imitate Lewandowski’s play good enough for the rest of the team to be able to compensate his loss. Crisis hit, Immobile was benched and Klopp picked the next best Lewandowski replacement for the lone striker role – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Nonetheless, the disgraced Italian still put on his brave face this April and reassured everyone through his agent that ‘Ciro will overcome those obstacles at Dortmund. He signed for five years for a reason’.
Last week however he seems to have pivoted: ‘Would I go back to Italy? I’ve never made any secret of the fact that I’d love to wear the Napoli shirt. I’ve said that several times.’
So what has happened between April and now?
Borussia have finished their season in seventh place and the players flown home for family vacation. It could simply be a case of homesickness overcoming the Italian. It remains the only interview he has given on his home turf, which is certainly a caveat one way or another. Aside from that, Dortmund is now undergoing the most significant change in seven years with the installation of Thomas Tuchel. The coach that originally wanted (but surprisingly quickly dropped) him has resigned, so this one will be ambivalent in his judgement.
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Immobile appeared to take the news well, when in yet another interview he declared that his ‘breakthrough can still happen at Borussia Dortmund, because they have changed the coach and that could create opportunities. Tuchel will have a few weeks to get to know me. I want to see how things go there first’.
This is contrasting to his most recent statement and it gets more misguided against the background of Tuchel’s latest words on Immobile, who has made clear that Ciro will absolutely get his chance next season.
Alas, unlike around this time last year it looks as though Immobile seems to have a bone or two to pick with BVB. The frustration he (to his credit) kept bottled up throughout the season is now aired bit by bit. And how could it not? Klopp’s enthusiasm over his versatility for example raises the question why it is that he not once started him in a role other than a carbon copy of Robert Lewandowski.
When Immobile finally delivered a superb league match against Wolfsburg, why did Klopp bench him for good after the subsequent defeat in which the entire team performed way below par? And did the Goetze-Mkhitaryan story not teach everyone, Klopp included, enough about first-year struggles in Dortmund? These are all issues you need to hold against the former coach and plenty of reason for Immobile to feel hard done by.
On the flip side, spectators have more than once seen a glimpse of what warrior Immobile has to offer when on top of his game. Most notably that happened at a time where the black and yellow’s football had hit rock bottom.
The likes of Ilkay Guendogan, Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang each were welcomed by a well-attuned system and regardless all failed to make an impression in their first season. Immobile consistently performed well in Champions League matches (including some stellar goals for example against Arsenal) and also managed to positively stand out in a handful of cup and league encounters. It is undeniable he was consistenly inconsistent, but it does not feel Dortmund-esque to cut their losses after one season, especially when most of the reasons for failure were self-inflicted.
Lastly, even though increasingly cultivated in professional football, you would have to question Immobile’s character if he was to urge the club to let him off the hook after committing to BVB for five years. A decision will be imminent and might solely hinge on whether or not Dortmund find a proper alternative to sign.
And yet there is something about Immobile’s play that will make Dortmund fans hope he gets his second shot under Tuchel. It does not require a great deal of digging to find out that many think of him as a gutsy fighter with a lethal right boot. In that sense he is the first player to somewhat resemble revered cult striker Alex Frei. If that’s what Ciro Immobile would fancy for himself, he must not run the risk of prematurely pulling the plug.
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