At 32 and with more than 600 competitive appearances in professional football, Marcel Sabitzer is a seasoned pro unlikely to be rattled easily. The midfielder, who has been on Borussia Dortmund's books since 2023, has also regularly found himself at the centre of rumours and speculation.
That meant the past transfer window was hardly anything out of the ordinary for Sabitzer. Even so, the noise around the Austrian grew louder, especially towards the end of the window.
Part of that was down to his current standing on the pitch. Sabitzer has lurched between highs and lows in his three seasons at Dortmund. Too often his performances have fallen short, and too rarely has he managed to sustain the impressive spells that have undoubtedly been there as well. The bottom line is clear: despite 117 competitive appearances in that time, Sabitzer has lacked the consistency to nail down a regular place over the long term.
Getty ImagesWhen does Marcel Sabitzer's contract at Dortmund expire?
He did manage that last season, but mainly because Felix Nmecha was out injured. Sabitzer started 26 times last year, and five goal involvements was a meagre return. His prospects in central or defensive midfield were limited. Alongside Nmecha, head coach Niko Kovac increasingly turned to Jobe Bellingham.
With Sabitzer's contract running until the end of June 2027 and Dortmund signing Joey Veerman, a regular starter, for his area of the pitch, he inevitably ended up in the rumour mill. That is why there was plenty of speculation in mid-August when Sabitzer made a "lightning exit" at a team meeting and had already sped off before the last of his team-mates arrived.
For two weeks now, one thing has been clear: Sabitzer will remain at Borussia at least until the winter break. He is "happy" in Dortmund, as his adviser Roger Wittmann told Sky on Deadline Day. At his current employers, Sabitzer can play at a "high level", Wittmann said.
Getty ImagesMarcel Sabitzer had "ten different enquiries" in the summer
Yet that does not necessarily square with the "ten different enquiries" that, according to his adviser, Sabitzer had. Dortmund certainly would not have stood in the way if an offer in line with the 102-cap international's market value had arrived. Since that did not happen, Sabitzer is now heading into a farewell tour in Dortmund. "Next year," Wittmann explained pointedly, his client will then be able to weigh up all options.
One of those options will not be Borussia. The club are not planning to extend with Sabitzer. And with good reason: not only has he failed to meet expectations often enough on the pitch, he also earns a great deal of money. Sabitzer, for whom they once paid Bayern Munich €19 million, is estimated to earn an annual salary of €8 million. The new signings around Veerman, Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias are each expected to earn at most half of that.
For Dortmund, it is a story they know all too well and one that hurts every time: players paid far too much compared with what they produce simply run down their very lucrative contracts. That was the case, for example, with Nico Schulz, Marius Wolf, Niklas Süle or Salih Özcan. Who could blame them?
Getty Images"Bottle": Marcel Sabitzer's wife clashes with abusive user
Social media, of course, had its answer. Given his too-frequent weak displays, Sabitzer had already been cast as the villain by plenty of people around Dortmund. Most recently, things even escalated to the point that Sabitzer's wife Katja stepped in on Instagram.
Under a post featuring Wittmann's comments, one user had written that he had "really hoped we'd got rid of the bottle". Sabitzer's wife, winner of the TV show 'Der Bachelor' in 2014, replied: "I'd really like to know what you've achieved in your life?" The malicious retort: "I took part in Der Bachelor, and you?" Mrs Sabitzer again: "God, are you all so horrible. Your answer says everything about you. You know nothing about my life."
What counts against Sabitzer is that many around Dortmund see him as dead weight. He represents the Dortmund of previous years, when the club splashed transfer fees and wages on established, slightly older players who gave little back. The genuinely refreshing approach of the new sporting leadership and the recent transfer window overseen by the energetic sporting director Ole Book only fuelled hope that they would also move on players like Sabitzer, Ramy Bensebaini and Emre Can.
IMAGOMarcel Sabitzer recently used on the attacking flank at Dortmund
They may simply have to wait another year. Up to now, though, it is by no means true that Sabitzer cannot still add something to the team.
Kovac values his experience, aggressive style of play and flexibility. That is part of the picture too: Sabitzer is one of those polyvalent number eights Dortmund have clearly had too many of in the squad recently. His lack of consistency also stems from the fact he has hardly ever played in the same position for any sustained period.
That will shape what is expected to be his final year in Dortmund as well. With Nmecha, Bellingham and Veerman, the middle is crowded. Like in the Austria national team, in which he is set to take a break in future due to the high strain of recent years, Sabitzer has to move to both attacking flanks and the half-spaces. Kovac has not yet handed him a Bundesliga start.
IMAGOMarcel Sabitzer will probably only be a rotation player at Dortmund now
Against Villarreal in the Champions League, however, Sabitzer started and turned in a respectable display, showing plenty of intensity and making a number of good ball recoveries. He has also done all right as a joker, rebranded a "finisher" by Kovac. Sabitzer recently set up Nmecha's overhead-kick goal against Paderborn.
Unless one of his rivals gets injured, Sabitzer's role as a rotation player is unlikely to change much now. The exception would be if he can find in a Dortmund shirt the cutting edge in attacking areas that he shows there for the ÖFB: in 31 internationals since 2023, Sabitzer has scored an impressive 13 goals. Before his Dortmund spell, it had been only six goals in 42 matches.
Marcel Sabitzer: his performance data at Dortmund
Competitive appearances | Goals | Assists |
123 | 8 | 15 |