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| Waldemar Anton of Germany poses for a portrait during the Germany Portrait session ahead of the UEFA EURO 2024 Germany on June 10, 2024 in Herzogenaurach, Germany. |
Borussia Dortmund are quickly advancing towards the signature of VFB Stuttgart’s Waldemar Anton as an addition to the club’s thin central defense. The signing of the defender, now with Germany at the European Championships, looks all but confirmed with Fabrizio Romano and Florian Plettenburg both announcing his imminent transfer.
Anton has spent the last year four years playing with VFB Stuttgart and captained the side as they qualified for the Champions League in 2nd place. The 27-year-old defender has garnered a reputation as one of the league’s top defenders and was heavily linked with a move to several top clubs, including Bayer Leverkusen. Borussia Dortmund need a center-back after club legend, Mats Hummels, left the club on a free transfer.
Waldemar Anton will be labeled as a ‘Mats Hummels replacement’ but he is a vastly different player in how he plays. Unlike Hummels, who boasts one of the best technical skill sets amongst defenders in his generation, Waldemar Anton is the type of defender your granddad would love.
He is a no-nonsense defender who is dominant in the air and in a tackle. Anton reads the game very well and his physicality allows him to challenge players across his defensive third. He had the second most aerial duels won of players in the top half of the Bundesliga this past season.
While Anton is far from a liability in possession he will be less likely to split a team’s midfield with a long ball when compared to the outgoing Hummels. We will likely see Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck, who was great on the ball for Dortmund this year, form a partnership.
Borussia Dortmund has already triggered Anton’s release clause of €22,000,000 and will be expected to give him a substantial pay increase from the €2,830,000 he earns yearly at Stuttgart. His signing will likely come with a bonus as one.
One last thing to note about this one is that Borussia Dortmund have also been heavily linked with Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy as both players have similar release clauses. Their signings are a signal that Borussia Dortmund is evidently putting emphasis on Bundesliga proven players and are not afraid to poach from their rivals.
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