Maximilian Philipp: Germany Under-21 star has fittingly been dubbed the ‘new Marco Reus’ after move to Borussia Dortmund
Sponsored by
WHILE Bayern Munich continue to make big money moves to sign up the Bundesliga’s best talent, Borussia Dortmund have their own project.
Even with new boss Peter Bosz, it seems BVB are still intent on picking up several of the best young talent Germany has to offer.
Previously a Tottenham target, Maximilian Philipp chose Signal Iduna Park as his next home, signing a five-year-deal with the club earlier this month.
Dortmund paid Freiburg around £18million for his services, although the fee could rise with add-ons.
take a closer look at the German Under-21 international and what Spurs have potentially missed out on.
Who is Maximilian Philipp and where does he come from?
BORN in the German capital in 1994, Philipp originally joined his hometown club Hertha Berlin.
However, as a 14-year-old, he was deemed surplus to requirements and left the Bundesliga club... subsequently joining Tennis Borussia Berlin.
His early career would then take him to Energie Cottbus in 2008, playing a handful of senior matches for their second team.
In 2012, the then 18-year-old was signed up to join Freiburg’s youth ranks.
Philipp was finally making the impact he had hoped in their youth sector andmade his first-team debut in April 2014, coming off the bench in the 90th minute against Stuttgart.
Since his debut the midfielder has gone on to play 88 times for Freiburg, scoring 18 goals and contributing 23 assists.
During the 2015/16 campaign, while helping his club win promotion to the Bundesliga, he scored eight and created 11 goals in 31 games.
Playing all across the attack, he was one of the key reasons the Brazilians of Breisgau moved up to the top flight.
Philipp struggled to create goals for his team-mates in the Bundesliga, contributing just three assists as Freiburg finished impressively in seventh.
But the all-round attacker continued to score and that helped his side push up the table.
Philipp said via a press release after joining Dortmund: "When BVB come knocking on your door, you cannot say no.
"I think that at the age of 23 years I'm mature and old enough take the next step. I want to develop as a player."
He joins Matthias Ginter and Roman Burki as the third player since 2014 to move from Freiburg to Dortmund.
The small Bundesliga club maintain their status on a small budget, but rely on developing talent like Philipp to boost their survival chances.
What will Maximilian Philipp add to Dortmund?
KEEPING a close eye on the players Freiburg develop, the 23-year-old would have caught Dortmund’s attention with his ability with both feet.
It’s hard to pick out which foot is Philipp’s strongest and he is able to play on both flanks and through the middle.
He possesses an incredible work-rate, something that is key at Dortmund, but when you add his vision, finishing and defensive awareness, you have the whole package.
et he can still improve further.
BVB’s sporting director Michael Zorc said: “We're happy to have won the signature of a player who was highly sought after in Germany and abroad."
And by beating off competition from Spurs and RB Leipzig, it shows Dortmund can still pull in the best young talent.
Still flying somewhat under the radar, Philipp will spend the summer with the German Under-21 side competing in the European Championships.
There he will play alongside another Spurs transfer target, Max Mayer, and former Arsenal winger, Serge Gnabry.
Philipp may need to bide his time but it’s proof of his potential that he’s included beside those top youngsters.
The 'new Marco Reus'?
ALTHOUGH at six foot tall and just over 12 stone, Philipp is a little bulkier than Marco Reus, there are defining similarities between the two players.
Philipp loves to play on the half turn, looking to drive at defenders as soon as he is in possession.
Dortmund’s style will play to the 23-year-old’s strengths.
Just like Reus, Philipp has guile and a change of direction that allows him to skip past defenders with a side-step, then carry on almost effortlessly.
Reus was injured for BVB’s DFB-Pokal victory over Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of the season and faces time out with a partial tear to his cruciate knee ligament.
Bosz needed a replacement, someone to fill in for the injury-prone star and with Philipp it looks like he has found his man.
There must be a worry for Reus, if Philipp’s career continues to blossom as it has since he joined Freiburg in 2014, he may struggle to win back his place on his return.
