'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Following the rather delayed - yet somewhat expected - sale of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund have acquired the services of Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi as their short-term replacement for the Gabon international.
The 24-year-old Belgian joins on a loan deal until the end of the 2017/18 campaign, having struggled for regular minutes for the Blues this term. While it seems inevitable that he'll return to Stamford Bridge this summer regardless of his displays in Germany, Chelsea will undoubtedly be monitoring his progress in the Bundesliga.
Here, we will discuss five reasons why he has every chance to find his feet in Germany and boost his chances of more first-team football next season.
#5: No real competition
First and foremost, Michy Batshuayi will be coming in as the club's direct replacement for Aubameyang. Therefore, he'll be expected to settle quickly being in the thick of things straight away, as they are struggling for attacking depth.
Alexander Isak is their only genuine centre forward in the current senior squad, however he has appeared very tentative at times and is not ready for regular first-team football just yet.
Andre Schurrle can play in the number nine position but the German international has struggled with both injuries and inconsistent form during his spell thus far at BVB.
With all of that in mind, it's unlikely that he'll have to fight for his place in the starting eleven and should earn adequate minutes to justify his ability.
#4: He has the talent for it
More often than not, we often forget how talented Michy Batshuayi actually is.
Sure, the youngster has failed to impress Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, but looking at his remarkable goals per game ratio, Batshuayi has every chance of excelling in the Bundesliga considering the fact he will actually earn proper minutes there.
Blessed with immense technical abilities, he's very good with regards to link-up play even in tighter areas of the pitch - tailor made for Dortmund's playing style under new management with Peter Stoger.
In addition, he's very agile and active both inside and outside the penalty area while his first-touch is accurate more often than not. These qualities will definitely help him integrate quickly to their possession-based style.
#3: Dortmund are very good at developing youngsters
As we're all aware, Dortmund's reputation for developing youngsters is excellent. This should not be any different with Michy Batshuayi, either.
Although 24-year-old players are often perceived to be older and fairly experienced in today's market, Batshuayi lacks much real top-flight experience over the last 18 months. He's only made four Premier League starts since the start of last season, which is astonishing considering he has rarely been injured either. Therefore, he needs to adapt and that's where Dortmund's ability to nurture players will come into play.
Having only really featured quite heavily in cup competitions until now, Batshuayi will not have to worry about much else other than buckling down with plenty of top-flight action still to play between now and May.
BVB find themselves in sixth place, but are only three points away from second placed Bayer Leverkusen - who are level with Schalke on 34 after 20 matches played.
#2: He'll receive great service in attack
Dortmund fans are understandably eager to see Marco Reus return to full fitness next week. The German international has been sidelined since May last year, but was initially expected to make his long-awaited return against Koln this Friday.
However, ESPN's Stefan Buczko confirmed the former Borussia Monchengladbach will not feature and instead, will return next week.
He's expected to gel well with the likes of Christian Pulisic, Mario Götze, Andriy Yarmolenko, Shinji Kagawa and Maximilian Philipp - that's ignoring young talents such as Jadon Sancho, who has impressed on the wing with increased senior minutes recently.
With team-mates such as these in their attack, Michy is destined to thrive just like Aubameyang did alongside quality service.
#1: Dortmund fans will adore him
Last but not least, Michy Batshuayi is a captivating character both on and off the field.
Just by looking at his Twitter account, we can pretty much assume that Batshuayi is a fun-loving guy, who will easily integrate himself into the equally fun-loving Dortmund squad.
The majority of their first-team players help to build a youthful look and it's hard to imagine fans having any difficulties forgetting about Aubameyang, at least in regards to personalities.
It may take some time, but progression is the key for Michy's loan deal to prove successful here. The club's sporting director, Michael Zorc, revealed they were only content in making a loan move - keen to avoid spending needlessly on a new forward midway through the campaign.
"We were not willing to splash out millions on a new number no.9 under pressure. We made a conscious decision for a loan, the market is tight in the winter. We looked closely at several attackers - Michy is a very good solution," Zorc told local news site Der Westen.
With the World Cup only a few months away, can he step up and perform when it matters most?
