When news broke on transfer deadline day that Shinji Kagawa was to return to Borussia Dortmund there must have been an equal amount of joy for the Japanese star, his countrymen and the fans of Der BVB.
It is often said that an individual should never go back to a place which holds powerful and fond memories. The reasons for this are aplenty but the main one is that no matter what a person tries the future will never be as good as the past.
In football this adage is even more relevant. Consider the case of Robbie Fowler who enjoyed a messiah like status at Merseyside but was sold under controversial circumstances to Leeds United. Fowler returned to Anfield half a decade later amidst great fanfare but he was a shadow of a player compared to the one in his first Liverpool spell.
The Brazilian, Kaka, too offers a great example of a player not being able to reach the same heights after coming back. After being the main man at AC Milan for more than five seasons and winning the FIFA World Player of the Year, he transferred to Real Madrid to become a Galactico. But he endured an unsuccessful & injury prone spell in Madrid. When he returned to Milan there was a lot of expectation that he would be able to take the Rossoneri back to the top of Italian football. This dream too ended in disappointment as his comeback lasted less than a year and he has now decided to finish his career in the Americas.
For Shinji Kagawa though, the return to Dortmund and their adoring fans could be a lot more fruitful on the pitch and the rationale behind this thought is simple ai??i?? his age. He is still only 25 years old, unlike Kaka and Fowler who were on the wrong side of 30 when they went back. If the Japanese can sort out his body then his peak years could still be ahead of him. Kagawa will know that he is getting an opportunity which few professional players do but perhaps this move is deserved after a frustrating spell at Old Trafford.
Two years ago when Kagawa signed for Manchester United he must have felt that the move would represent the crowning moment of his career. But when Robin Van Persie signed for The Red Devils one began to wonder whether Kagawa could shine as brightly at Old Trafford as he had at the Westfalenstadion. He would be frequently shifted to the left so as to accommodate the Dutchman and Wayne Rooney and this trend continued under David Moyes as well.
Jurgen Klopp often remarked that it saddened him greatly to see Kagawa playing a bit role on the left for Manchester United and fans of the German club too voiced their dismay at the state of affairs by starting a free Shinji campaign on social media. This summer the condition got even worse with the arrival of Angel Di Maria and the switch to a 3-5-2 formation.
With this change in approach the need for Kagawa to look elsewhere must have increased and when the opportunity arose to go back to Dortmund both he and Klopp seized it quickly. Fans back home in Japan too must be happy with this transfer, as Kagawa may now finally get the chance to play football on a regular basis, something which was not the case at United.
Concerns have been raised in some quarters that it might not be a very easy adaptation period for Kagawa as Dortmund are a much changed outfit to the one he left two years ago. They are now a lot more direct with players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan but more importantly Marco Reus now plays as the number 10, a position which Kagawa once occupied.
Klopp though will know that with the arrival of Kagawa he now has the strength in depth to launch an assault both domestically and in Europe. He now has the option to change personnel depending on the situation and opposition. He can either play a midfield trio of Reus, Kagawa and Jakub Blaszczykowski behind Aubameyang or another new acquisition Ciro Immobile or when a more physical approach is required Mkhitaryan can play in place of the Japanese.
Dortmund also realise that a scenario may occur in the near future when they lose the services of Marco Reus, who is the subject of huge interest from the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. The latter have made a habit of poaching some of the best players from the Ruhr based club and it would surprise no one if Reus decides to follow Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski to the Allianz Arena. If such a situation does occur then Kagawaai??i??s return will prove even more of a masterstroke.
But the possible departure of Reus is not on the cards for another season at least and the atmosphere at Die Gelbe Wand will be one of joyous celebration when Der BVB next set foot at the Westfalenstadion.
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