Samuele Inacio has been making a strong impression for Borussia Dortmund during the final stretch of the season. Could he already be ready to take on a leading role? Here are the latest updates and rumors surrounding the club.
Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac believes that young midfield talent Samuele Inacio could well become the long-term replacement for Julian Brandt, who will leave the club in the middle of the year.
“I think we already saw a small generational shift today. Jule (Brandt, ed.) had seven fantastic years here and scored many important goals,” Kovac said in his post-match press conference after Friday’s 3-2 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt. He then praised Inacio, who netted his first Bundesliga goal against SGE: “With Samuele, I need to be careful not to create excessive expectations, but the kid showed today and in recent games that he wants it, he goes for it, he fights, and he works defensively. He can do a lot with the ball – he has created several chances in the past few games.”
Inacio could “perhaps one day – even if just in quotation marks for now – replace Jule,” Kovac continued. Brandt’s contract, set to expire, will not be renewed; the 30-year-old will leave Dortmund on a free transfer, with his next destination still unknown. In any case, BVB needs a new creative player to compensate for Brandt’s departure – and they may already have exactly that in Inacio.
“Those are big steps to follow. The kid (Inacio, ed.) is 18, while Jule is already 30. We need to give him time. If he stays normal and healthy, he will certainly become a good footballer,” Kovac commented on
