"?Another transfer window, another set of stars leave Borussia Dortmund. Club captain Matts Hummels followed a path that has been taken by several Dortmund players. He is the latest Dortmund player to join Bayern following Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski. Ilkay Gundogan and Henrikh Mhkitaryan have moved to Manchester City and Manchester United respectively, with Nevan Subotic also expected to leave this summer.
Losing such players with the experience and skill they possess is a blow for the former German champions. They might have lost players to European giants in the past but never have they lost three of their best players in one transfer window. The only positive that they have derived from the exodus of their biggest stars is the £90.25m they have received from the player sales.
Tomas Tuchel has overseen the purchases of some of Europe's top young talents. Ousmanne Dembele arrived from Rennes and European champion Raphael Guerreiro also arrived from FC Lorient. Marc Bartra transferred from Spanish champions Barcelona and Mikel Moreno completed his move from CA Osasuna. German midfielder Sebastien Rhode completed his move from Bayern Munich to Dortmund and Emre Mor also joined the German club. The manner in which Dortmund have transacted business is very impressive.
However bringing in new players with the hope of integrating them into the first team in a completely different league poses problems. The issue of acclimatisation is the biggest problem. The style of German football is different from the Spanish and French leagues and the new signings might not hit the ground running right away.
There is a glaring need for leadership at Dortmund to help the new signings ease into life in German football. This is where Marco Reus comes in. The midfielder was once targeted by Bayern, but he opted against moving. Liverpool have also expressed their interest in him but he has no intention of jumping ship. He was an integral part of Tuchel's side last year and will have a bigger role at the club this season having taken over as club captain. His quality is undoubted and he can take on the role of mentor on and off the pitch for the new signings.
Reus will be looking to put the summer's agony behind him and sparkle once again. He is reportedly about four weeks away from fitness and is expected to get back into action by mid-August. He has been loyal to the Dortmund cause and has worked extremely hard for the club.
He has shied away from the media attention and has kept his mind focused on his work on the pitch. Injuries have affected his consistency and he will be looking to put all those problems behind him and lead Dortmund's new breed of talented players. He has spoken about how honoured he is to captain the club and the captaincy is a timely reward for a very committed player.
The responsibility on the former Monchengladbach midfielder is greater now, but that should serve as motivation for him to show why he is regarded as one Europe's finest players.