8 clubs that improved even after selling their top players
Rebuilding a squad after the sale of key players is always a big task and one which many clubs have struggled to do over the years. Take for example the case of Liverpool who went from beating Real Madrid 5-0 on aggregate in the Champions League and finishing second in the league in 2009, to failing to finish in the Top 4 for four consecutive seasons.
The sale of top players like Xabi Alonso, Yossi Benayoun, Javier Mascherano, Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez over the years played a big role in Liverpool’s downfall.
Another similar example is that of Tottenham Hotspur, which struggled following the departures of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale to Real Madrid in successive seasons.
However, there are many clubs who have managed to keep their competitiveness alive even after losing some of their top players. Some of these clubs are thus referred to as feeder clubs because they constantly nurture players into stars and later sell them for hefty fees.
Borussia Dortmund
Few years ago, Bayern Munich were struggling to win the Bundesliga title due to the incredible rise of Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp.
Under Klopp, Borussia Dortmund won the league title in 2010-11 and the club’s midfielder, Nuri Sahin, was voted as the best player in the league as well. However, prior to the start of the 2011-12 season, Sahin moved to Real Madrid and he was replaced by Ilkay Gundogan.
Dortmund managed to retain the Bundesliga title again in 2011-12, but their success came with a price once again as they lost Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United before the 2012-13 season. With Kagawa gone, Marco Reus was drafted in as his replacement.
The following season Dortmund finished as runners-up in the league and UEFA Champions League and once again they lost a star from the team in the summer. This time it was their prodigy Mario Gotze and that too to arch rivals Bayern Munich.
Gotze was replaced by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but more trouble followed as the club’s star striker Robert Lewandowski left for Bayern Munich on a free transfer in 2014. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who arrived at Dortmund in 2013, stepped into the shoes left vacant by Lewandowski.
Although Dortmund endured a difficult season in 2014-15, they had managed to replace their outgoing stars effectively and this is probably why their current manager, Thomas Tuchel, is able to do so well this season with the squad he inherited.