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.Back in 2008, Borussia Dortmund were in a slump. Die Schwarzgelben had missed out on a European spot for the fifth consecutive season, and it was evident that somebody had to rescue them from their misery. The club appointed ex-Mainz manager Jurgen Klopp, who had won over hearts at Opel Arena by securing a maiden promotion to the Bundesliga in 2005.
Now at the Dortmund helm, Klopp was keen on effectuating his famous gegen-pressing system, and his plan bloomed into fruition at the Signal Iduna Park. The tactician made a series of changes to the squad as he led the team to a sixth-placed finish in his first full season as manager.
In the following year, BVB missed out on Europe's premier competition again, this time by a single point after failing to beat Wolfsburg and Freiburg in the last league games of the season.
Klopp's third season with Dortmund saw them mount an improbable title challenge and overcome Bayern Munich to lift their seventh Bundesliga title. It was followed by an improbable double as they managed to defend their Bundesliga crown, and registered a thumping 4-0 victory over Bayern in the DFB-Pokal final.
Klopp's men went a step further the next year, reaching the final of the Champions League, but fell agonisingly short at Wembley due to Arjen Robben's late winner.
During his memorable stint at Dortmund, the German tactician produced some world-class players, including Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski. He was lauded for his exceptional work in the transfer market, but his signings after the departure of the core members of the team left a lot to be desired.
In this piece, we take a look at Jurgen Klopp's last five Borussia Dortmund signings.
#5 Ciro Immobile
Ciro Immobile was part of the Juventus reserves side for a year before getting his chance with the first team. He made just five appearances, failing to break his duck for over two years.
The Italian was loaned out to Serie B sides Siena and Grosseto, where he made no impact. However, during his third loan spell at Pescara in Serie B, he thrived, finding the back of the net on 23 occasions under the management of Zdenek Zeman.
Since Immobile was co-owned by Juventus and Genoa, a deal to move to the port city of Genoa went through smoothly on a season-long loan. The striker once again let down his temporary side, and struck only five times throughout the 2012/13 campaign.
After the end of the season, the Old Lady bought Genoa's half of Immobile, which was worth €2.75 million. On the same day, he was offered to Torino, who jumped at the opportunity to sign him.
He was in red-hot form with Juventus' rivals Torino, ending up as the top scorer of the league. With 22 goals and 1 in the domestic cup competition, there was no shortage of interest for the Italian striker. Borussia Dortmund, who were forced to lose their talisman Robert Lewandowski for nothing, made an instant move to sign Immobile from Torino for €17.9 million.
The Italian started a few games in the league, but was picked in the starting lineup for the Champions League and the domestic cup competitions. He managed to score ten goals in the season, and the club decided to loan him out to Sevilla.
Immobile was unimpressive, scoring just two goals for Sevilla in over six months. After a nightmare spell in Spain, he was loaned out to Torino. He couldn't find his rhythm upon his comeback to his homeland, but Lazio opted to buy him in the summer for €8.75 million. The gamble has paid off as the Italian striker has scored over 115 goals in just over four years at the club.
Ciro Immobile has established himself as one of the top strikers in the world. He's also the first choice striker for his national side.
#4 Matthias Ginter
The German international was earmarked as one of the most promising youngsters in the country after back-to-back first-class seasons with Freiburg. Die Schwarzgelben transferred €10 million to Freiburg to secure the tall centre-back's services in 2014. Ginter made a paltry 22 appearances during his first season, and then went on to add another 80 in a couple of campaigns.
Ginter's time at Borussia Dortmund was neither a disappointment nor a spectacular hit. Nevertheless, moving to BVB at the age of 21 proved to be a hill too high to climb as he failed to live up to his potential, and never played regular football. He was no more than a utility player under Jurgen Klopp.
When life at Dortmund seemed to be sparkling under Thomas Tuchel, Ginter still ended up playing second fiddle to the likes of Mats Hummels and Sokratis as the coach opted to use him in different positions as a back-up.
After Tuchel's departure, new manager Peter Bosz informed Ginter that he was not part of his plans. Rivals Borussia Monchengladbach were interested in the Freiburg graduate and signed him for €17 million.
The 26-year-old has been a rock for Dortmund's noisy neighbours. He has taken to the field 93 times for Monchengladbach, and has also become a familiar face in the German national side.
#3 Shinji Kagawa
Shinji Kagawa was an unknown commodity when he entered European football. Borussia Dortmund's scouts took note of the Japanese midfielder, who topped the scoring charts in Japan's second division in 2010.
Signing someone for free from a second-tier Asian competition was not seen as a good move by plenty of supporters, but little they did know then the displays Kagawa would put in at Borussia Dortmund.
He slotted into the starting lineup almost immediately, and made a serious impact, making 28 appearances in all competitions before an injury ended his season. Nonetheless, he scored 12 goals and set up his teammates twice en route to Bundesliga success.
In the following campaign, the 31-year-old stamped his authority on European football, entering double figures in both goals and assists. The midfielder notched up 17 goals and 14 assists in just 43 games, attracting interest from several European heavyweights.
After successive world class seasons and racking up serious numbers, Sir Alex Ferguson made a formal bid worth €22 million for Shinji Kagawa, which was accepted by Dortmund. He suffered a knee injury which kept him out for more than two months, and unfortunately, was never able to solidify a place in the starting lineup, warming the bench on numerous occasions.
The two-time Bundesliga champion spent another year at Old Trafford, before re-signing for Borussia Dortmund in 2014. After a poor season under Jurgen Klopp, his numbers climbed in the next season under Tuchel, but only utter disappointment was to follow.
He was loaned out to Besiktas during the second part of the 2018/19 season. The Japanese international fared well, but the Turkish side didn't want him back. With very few offers on the table, he opted to accept one from Real Zaragoza, who are currently plying their trade in the Spanish second division.
#2 Nuri Sahin
Nuri Sahin broke through the academy ranks of Borussia Dortmund. The Turkish International was a squad player during the first part of Jurgen Klopp's debut season with Dortmund. He then managed to secure a spot in the starting lineup, and was seen as one of the most exciting players in the Bundesliga.
In the next couple of seasons, when Borussia Dortmund lifted the Bundesliga twice, Nuri Sahin ran the show alongside the likes of Sebastian Kehl and Shinji Kagawa in the midfield department, and garnered interest from European heavyweights, akin to his teammate Kagawa.
When Real Madrid phoned, Sahin didn't think twice about leaving and joined the LaLiga giants. However, the midfielder made just ten appearances under the management of Jose Mourinho at the Santiago Bernabeu, and pleaded for a move away from the club.
Liverpool was his next destination, but Brendan Rodgers failure to utilize the midfielder properly, and this propelled him to cut short his spell in England and move back to Borussia Dortmund.
This time, the German outfit signed him on loan until 2014. The club decided to activate the purchase clause, and sign him permanently for a fee in the region of €7 million. Sahin's second spell with Dortmund was injury-plagued, as the midfielder made just 68 appearances between 2014 and 2018.
The 31-year-old moved to Werder Bremen for free in the summer on transfer deadline day, and has 40 appearances to his name at Weser Stadium.
#1 Kevin Kampl
Kevin Kampl was a product of the Bayer Leverkusen academy, but never got a chance to play for the first team in any competition.
The German-born Slovenian international found himself demoted to the second division of German football. Greuther Furth signed him on a temporary deal, but he wasn't able to showcase his talent and left after making not more ten appearances throughout the season. However, what awaited him was another demotion.
The 29-year-old signed for third tier VfL Osnabruck on a free transfer, racking up 36 appearances. In the succeeding year, he opted to put pen to paper with a second division club named VfR Aalen, but good fortune was gainst him once again. Despite his failures, Austrian club, RB Salzburg, who were funded by Red Bull, were convinced of his talent.
Kampl made over 100 appearances for the Austrian outfit, and was part of the team that was crowned the Austrian Bundesliga Champions. After a two-and-a-half-year stint, Borussia Dortmund came calling in January 2015. The Slovenian made 19 appearances for his new club, but Thomas Tuchel labelled him surplus to his requirements in the summer.
He then moved back to Leverkusen, before joining RB Leipzig in a €20 million move, which has done him wonders. The midfielder has appeared over 100 times for the club, scoring 29 times and assisting on 54 occasions.
