Borussia Dortmund‘s long-serving player, Jakub Blaszczykowski, has signed a three-year deal at VFL Wolfsburg. Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel deemed the veteran to be surplus at Westfalenstadion and offloaded him for a fee of €5 million, as reported by German magazine Kicker. Earlier, Borussia Dortmund signed the German star Andre Schurrle from Wolfsburg and this move is seen as a replacement to fill the void in the other unit.
Well aware of the qualities that Blaszczykowski would bring to the team, the Wolfsburg sporting director, Klaus Allofs, said, “Blaszczykowski is a player that will do any team good. Not only because of his footballing capabilities but also because he is a model of dedication, commitment, and passion and because he gives 100% to his team. He is someone who fully identifies with the club he plays for. We are looking forward to him in a Wolfsburg shirt."
Welcoming the new addition, Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking added, "Blaszczykowski significantly increases our flexibility in terms of attacks on the right-hand side of the pitch. He is an enormous benefit [to the team]."
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Jakub ‘Kuba’ Blaszczykowski himself expressed his excitement on fresh start by posting to his Facebook page on Sunday. He wrote, "New week, new challenge. Starting tomorrow. Ready for action!"
Kuba won two consecutive Bundesliga titles and a DFB Pokal in which he set up two goals in the 5-2 humiliation of Bayern Munich. He also started the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in 2013. Serving more than eight years at the club, Blaszczykowski established himself as a Dortmund fan favourite during his time, scoring 32 goals and providing 52 assists in his 253 games. Borussia Dortmund chiefs also took the opportunity to bid farewell to the veteran for his contribution to the club.
"Kuba is an exceptional professional who we have learned to value not only as a footballer but also as human being. We will follow his career," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc told the club’s official website.
Club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke also added, “We wish Kuba all the best in his future endeavours. He knows that he and his family will always be welcome in Dortmund."
Last season, the 30-year-old was loaned out to Fiorentina but managed only 20 appearances due to injury, and the Italian club opted against making the deal permanent. However, the former Polish footballer of the year returned to top form in an impressive EURO 2016 campaign for Poland, although he missed a decisive penalty in the shootout defeat to Portugal in the quarterfinals.
