Borussia Dortmund attacker Julien Duranville has joined Swiss Super League side FC Basel on loan.
The 19-year-old Belgium international, who arrived at Dortmund from Anderlecht three years ago, will remain at St Jakob-Park until the end of the season.
The deal, which does not include an option to buy, concludes what has been a chequered first chapter in Germany for Duranville. The teenager has made 15 Bundesliga appearances and earned two caps for his country while at Dortmund, but his progress has been hampered by injuries and disciplinary concerns.
Since late October, when he recovered from a dislocated shoulder suffered against Real Madrid in the Club World Cup quarter-finals, Duranville has made the Dortmund bench just twice. The move nonetheless represents something of a coup for Basel, as the club’s sporting director Daniel Stucki acknowledged.
‘It’s not a given’: Basel delighted by Julien Duranville loan signing
“We are very pleased that we were able to convince Julien to join us on loan in Basel, as it’s not a given that a player like him would move from a top club like Dortmund to Switzerland,” said Stucki, who expressed optimism that Duranville could feature for fourth-placed Basel against FC Zürich on Sunday.
“He’s a very skillful, explosive winger who received excellent training at Anderlecht. Due to a shoulder injury, he had limited playing time at Borussia Dortmund recently, and that’s exactly what he can now get with us. For a young player, playing time at the highest level is crucial to taking the next step at a top club. We are convinced that Julien will help us from the start.”
That is greater encouragement than Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac has been able to offer. Last month, the Croatian explained Durnaville’s recurring omission from the matchday squad by suggesting he was simply not at the required level.
Niko Kovac: ‘It’s difficult for Duranville to be involved at BVB’
“It’s difficult for him to be involved,” said Kovac, whose second-placed Dortmund side have made stuttering progress this season. “We are at BVB and there are really good players here. He is one of them, but the others are simply better.”
It does not help Duranville’s cause that he has reportedly shown up late to training and left Kovac unimpressed by his attitude once there, although the Croatian did concede earlier this month that the attacker needed playing time. If that would suggest that there could yet be a way back for him at the Westfalenstadion, so too did the remarks of Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl in a club statement.
“Julien has been with us in Dortmund for three years, but he is still a very young player in whom we continue to see great potential,” said Kehl. “However, due to injuries, among other things, he has not been able to show his talent and abilities to the extent we would have liked.
“The move to FC Basel now gives him the opportunity to gain regular playing time and develop further. We are convinced that this is the right step for his future prospects here at BVB. We wish him every success during his time in Basel.”
