6 Teams who had the best signings from the 2018 summer transfer window

#2 Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Bundesliga

Despite their recent poor run of form, Borussia Dortmund are still three points ahead of Bayern Munich, and if they stay focused, they'll win their first league title since 2012. If they can keep key players fit, they'll have the advantage against their Bavarian counterparts, as Dortmund look set to be eliminated from both cup competitions as Tottenham Hotspur hold a 3-0 aggregate lead in their Champions League tie, while Bayern are still alive in the DFB-Pokal quarterfinals, and have a do-or-die second leg against Liverpool yet to be played.

Dortmund's summer window was successful on all fronts. For one thing, they finally got their man: Lucien Favre. Dortmund have previously tried to appoint Favre as Thomas Tuchel's replacement in 2017, yet Nice refused to allow him to leave, thus forcing Dortmund to choose Peter Bosz as manager. With Favre finally joining the club, BVB look far more balanced and ready to take home their first Bundesliga title since Jürgen Klopp's glory days.

Thomas Delaney arrived from Werder Bremen, bringing physicality and energy to Favre's double pivot. In holding midfield, Axel Witsel has found the best form of his career after arriving from China, with performances that have made him amongst Europe's finest midfielders this season.

Abdou Diallo and Achraf Hakimi have become starters in defense, while Paco Alcácer has been a super-sub striker for Dortmund. But as impressive as the arrivals are, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and sporting director Michael Zorc deserve just as much credit for the departures. They cleared the squad of dead wood like Nuri Şahin and André Schurrle, and eliminated some aging players who were burdens on the wage bill, such as Sokratis, Andriy Yarmolenko, and Gonzalo Castro. Such proactive selling has allowed them to become proactive buyers.