One to watch: Emre Mor, Borussia Dortmund

This summer has seen big changes at Borussia Dortmund, losing arguably their three best players in one window raised eyebrows amongst the fans, posing questions about the clubs ambitions. They have answered those questions by signing some real quality, and on top of that seem to have come out better off, even after losing three key players.

One player in particular looks to be the next rising star at the club, 19-year-old, Emre Mor. A player not many would have heard of before his move to Dortmund, but it’s clear to see from his appearances at the European Championship and in pre-season, the Turkish International is an incredibly gifted young player.

Although a full Turkish International, Mor was born in Bronshoj, a diverse district of Copenhagen, and spent his first 18 years there. He became part of the famous Lyngby BK youth academy, spending nine years there before being released in January 2015. Many of Europe’s big clubs had their eyes on Mor, who then joined FC Nordsjaelland. It was here where he made his suitors stand up and take notice since making his debut in November. As a winger, Mor has been likened to Franck Ribery, his diminutive figure gives a misconception of his power, his technique when running with the ball has you sitting on the edge of your seat, expecting him to produce some magic, and he’s more than capable of providing that magic. His first thought is to attack, always looking to run at defenders with frightening pace, a real crowd-pleaser and a player any fan would want in their team.

As well as being born in Denmark, he also represented the national team from their under 17’s to under 19’s. So why represent Turkey? Mor’s mother is Macedonian and his father is Turkish. Mor could have chosen to represent Denmark, Turkey or Macedonia, and in the end opted for Turkey, prompting his coach at Nordsjaelland, Kasper Hjulmand, to describe it as “a tragedy for Danish football”.

Borussia Dortmund saw off competition from Manchester United and Liverpool for his signature, and at €7 million, the early indications are proving that fee to be a steal. Mor is clearly talented, and Dortmund realise the potential within the player:

“Emre Mor is an incredibly gifted and versatile young player with huge potential”, said Dortmund sporting director Micheal Zorc. Losing players like Ilkay Gundogan, Mats Hummels and Henrikh Mkhitaryan is always going to be difficult, but somehow Dortmund have managed to rectify that without breaking the bank. Along with Mor, German Internationals André Schürrle and Mario Götze are sure to improve the team, Ousmane Dembélé another young player attracting the big guns attention, Marc Bartra from Barcelona, Mikel Merino, Raphaël Guerriero and Sebastian Rode all coming to the club with good reputations, and all, bar one, under €25m.

The big question will be if Dortmund can beat Bayern Munich to the League this season. Players that have arrived this summer suggests that Dortmund are not only looking for success this season, but seasons to come, and one player looks sure to be a favourite at the Westfalenstadion, a player who looks destined to succeed at the very top level, Emre Mor.

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