Mkhitaryan and Borussia Dortmund: A match made in heaven

“He is a weapon in front of goal – his shooting technique is incredible. As a person, he might even be a bit better than he is as a footballer.”

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp had these words to say when the reporters asked him about his summer transfer Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian midfielder was a significant name in the manager’s wish list and they were able to acquire his services after a prolonged transfer battle with English giants Liverpool. The midfielder has been instrumental in the club’s recent form and has taken little time to settle in the Bundesliga. Borussia Dortmund is comfortably sitting at the top of the Bundesliga table at the moment with a perfect record after the first four games.

The Armenian midfielder started his career with local side Pyunik Yerevan and then moved on to the well known club Metalurh Donetsk where he first gained recognition. The midfielder was quite impressive for the side as he scored 14 goals in the first season and was made captain of the team in the very next year. But Mkkhitariyan gained prominence for the first time when he was bought for $7.5 million by the champions Shakhtar Donetsk.

That was the starting point for the Armenian midfielder, who went on to become a major factor in Shaktar’s domestic success and was considered as the next ‘best thing’ in Armenian football. The player was a major part of the team who completed the league and club double in Ukraine for three consecutive years. This made the midfielder a favourite transfer target for bigger clubs from all around Europe.

The summer transfer window was quite hard on the impressive Borussia Dortmund side as German talent Mario Gotze left the club to join rivals Bayern Munich and Polish striker Robert Lewandowski was also all set to leave the club. In this situation, Jurgen Klopp wanted to bring in a youngster who would be able to take control of the situation and steer the club to a better future, and thus ensued a transfer battle between Liverpool and Dortmund for the services of Henrikhh Mkhitaryan.

The English club was the first to bid for the Shaktar talent, but Dortmund was hell bent on securing his signature. The German club was ultimately successful in its attempts, and they were able to sign the free scoring midfielder key target Henrikhh Mkhitaryan for a fee in the the region of £20 million.

The Armenian midfielder justified his tag of being the club’s record signing almost immediately by scoring and providing an assist in the German club’s preseason friendly against Swiss club FC Basel 1893. But then, he suffered an ankle injury which saw him miss the rest of the pre-season proceedings and also the first match of the Bundesliga season.

He was also not that impressive in the next two matches which he started and the supporters were getting skeptical of the new record signing. But all doubts were shattered when the Armenian proved his worth yet again by scoring a brace in his team’s 2-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt which helped them maintain their perfect start to the new season.

The midfielder was a star player in Ukraine by virtue of his excellent talent and skills for Shaktar Donesk which helped the club in maintaining its supremacy in Ukraine for the three seasons he spent there. Jurgen Klopp was impressed by the Armenian striker and he made his emotions very clear by publicly stating Mkhitaryan as a prime target in the transfer market. The club had to pay a record transfer fee for the Armenian and this clearly states the importance he commands in the club and also in the transfer market.

The board and the supporters are quite confident of the youngster’s talent and it is their dream that he will be able to establish himself as a future club legend. Mario Gotze was an integral part of the Dortmund midfield which won the Bundesliga in the 2011-12 season and also was the finalist in the UEFA Champions league 2012-13 where they were defeated by compatriots Bayern Munich.

As a result, the departure of the German playmaker was a rude shock for both the team and also their supporters. But now, they are over that event and are looking towards a brighter future with Henrikh Mkhitaryan assuming the prime role at the heart of the team. The Armenian will be supported by proven talents like Iikay Gundogan, Marco Rues in the midfield and also an impressive striking duo of Robert Lewandowski and new recruit Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Thus, it seems that the club is quite secure for now with the proven talents and new recruits who are ready to go.

It is too early to say how the Armenian striker will fare for the German outfit, but if he is able to utilize and show his true potential, Henrikhh Mkhitariyan and Borussia Dortmund are really a match made in Heaven.