Leeds United, Julian Brandt, and Dortmund’s Great Creator

YEP Chief Football Writer Graham Smyth recently dropped the news that Leeds were exploring a deal to sign attacking midfielder Julian Brandt. The German was once touted as one of Germany’s elite attacking midfielders, but he hasn’t played for the national team since November 2023, and Dortmund are happy to see him leave on a free transfer. Which begs the question: should Leeds fans be excited, or cautious? 

Ask Dortmund supporters about Julian Brandt and you’ll get two very different answers. There’s no doubting that he is a technically gifted player. Mention his name to one supporter and they’ll talk about his ability to play outrageous through balls, his incredible first touch, the vision and the Champions League nights where he looked every inch an elite attacking midfielder.

Mention him to another and they’ll tell you he never quite became the player everyone thought he would. The inconsistency. The disappointment.

Both are right.

When Borussia Dortmund signed him from Bayer Leverkusen in 2019 for around €25 million, they weren’t buying a squad player. They were buying one of the brightest talents in German football, a player capable of becoming the creative heartbeat of one of Europe’s biggest clubs. At his best, he has looked worth every penny. Or cent. At his worst, he’s drifted through games to the point where you forget he’s even on the pitch – Joel Piroe, anyone? Unfortunately, it’s that inconsistency which has become the defining feature of his career. And perhaps that’s one of the main reasons Dortmund are happy to part company with the player. There is also an acknowledgement from Dortmund that they need to focus on younger players, and to lower the wage bill.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s not all bad. There aren’t many footballers who can spot a pass the way Brandt does. Give him runners ahead of him and he can carve teams apart. He has always possessed the technique, the imagination and the confidence to attempt things that most players wouldn’t even consider. The frustration has never been about what he can do. It’s been about how often he does it.

Which brings us neatly to Leeds, because if Daniel Farke can coax the best out of him, Leeds would be signing a player with a level of technical quality that very rarely arrives on a free transfer. Equally, free transfers of this calibre don’t become available by accident. So I ask again: should we be excited, or cautious? Because Leeds aren’t gambling on his talent. They’re gambling on whether they can unlock it often enough.

PLAYER PROFILE

Brandt turned thirty earlier this year and, after seven seasons at Borussia Dortmund, the club decided not to offer him a new contract. The decision was confirmed back in March, with sporting director Lars Ricken insisting the two parties would part on good terms.

Since Graham Smyth first linked him with Leeds, I’ve seen plenty of supporters question his age. Why spend the money on a 30-year-old when it could be invested in someone younger? But turning thirty doesn’t suddenly make a footballer incapable of affecting games, particularly one whose game has always been built on technique rather than pace. Leeds supporters don’t need to look very far for proof of that. Pablo Hernández was 31 when he arrived at Elland Road, and he went on to become one of the most influential players of the modern era. I’m not suggesting Brandt would have the same impact. Hernández earned that status over several unforgettable seasons. What I am saying is that age, on its own, shouldn’t be the deciding factor.

If Leeds signed Brandt tomorrow, they’d finally have another player capable of doing the sort of things Pablo Hernández did so effortlessly. Picking the right pass. Someone who can unlock a defence with one pass. With vision. And creativity. 

Brandt also brings versatility to the squad. At his best, he operates as an attacking midfielder. But throughout his career he has also played:

• left wing,
• right wing,
• central midfield.

I don’t believe Brandt is suited to being a winger in the Premier League, nor do I think that’s what Leeds would be looking to sign him for. He doesn’t possess enough pace to run at defenders and make them uncomfortable. Instead, Brandt relies on his vision, and ability to pick out a pass that others can’t. He would likely become the best technical player at the club instantly. Because we need to understand that Brandt isn’t some forgotten veteran stumbling out of the Bundesliga. Or a shiny broken toy that Victor Orta has obsessed over. For most of the last decade he has played for Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund. That’s a very different level of football to where we’ve been shopping in the last few years.

Between Leverkusen and Dortmund he accumulated well over 350 Bundesliga appearances, regular Champions League football and nearly 50 caps for Germany.  

THE STATS

The numbers are where he looks like a really exciting option. According to Opta Analyst data, Brandt finished the 2025/26 Bundesliga season with:

• 7 goals
• 4 assists
• 29 appearances
• 1,607 league minutes

which works out at 11 goal involvements despite starting only 17 league matches. His minutes may have been more limited this season, but he was still able to produce. FotMob suggests:

2025/26 Bundesliga – Dortmund

• 7 goals (31st overall)
• 4 assists (40th overall)
• 1,607 league minutes
• 7.19 FotMob rating (50th overall)
• 30 chances created (50th overall)
• 8 big chances created (40th overall)

2024/25 Bundesliga – Dortmund

• 5 goals (54th overall)
• 10 assists (4th overall)
• 2,318 league minutes
• 7.23 FotMob rating (42nd overall)
• 61 chances created (8th overall)
• 16 big chances created (5th overall)

2023/24 Bundesliga – Dortmund

• 7 goals (32nd overall)
• 11 assists (5th overall)
• 2,230 league minutes
• 7.30 FotMob rating (42nd overall)
• 80 chances created (3rd overall)
• 18 big chances created (3rd overall)

One look at the numbers and it’s obvious that 2025/26 wasn’t Brandt’s strongest season. His minutes dropped, his creativity dipped and, as a result, so did his overall output. But I also think it’s important not to judge him on one campaign alone because the two seasons before that tell a very different story. The numbers he produced aren’t those of a player who’s been declining for years. If anything, they suggest last season may have been the exception rather than the rule.

MATCH EVIDENCE

The best Brandt performances are usually reminders of why people have always rated him so highly. Dortmund’s Champions League draw with Bodø/Glimt saw Brandt score both Dortmund goals and was comfortably rated as their most dangerous attacker. Reuters described him as the standout performer in a game Dortmund had enough chances to win comfortably.  

There was also his strong run around December where German reports highlighted four goals in three matches and a return to prominence after periods spent in and out of the team.  

PHYSICAL PROFILE

I remember hearing snippets about Brandt and catching the odd highlights package from a Champions League game here and there. But the first time I actually watched him for a full 90 minutes was when the Bundesliga returned following COVID. Dortmund played Schalke, and as a football addict starved of his drug for too long, I tuned in excitedly. Dortmund had an exciting squad at the time with Haaland up front, Sancho (before his reputation plummeted) on the wing, and Brandt pulling the strings. And while Dortmund won in convincing fashion, I was left feeling very underwhelmed by what I saw from Brandt.  He wasn’t an explosive athlete dancing his way through defenders. He didn’t have electric pace. And dare I say it, he looked almost…lazy. Admittedly, I wasn’t aware of what type of player he was at the time. Because if you’re expecting a number 10 with dancing feet, who can glide past defenders, Brandt isn’t your man. Instead, he relies on his excellent technical ability and awareness. Jürgen Koers described the player as “special” because his “skill set is that he has technical quality and ball control. He can pass, score, and assist”.  Brandt isn’t going to terrify defenders with his pace, but Leeds wouldn’t be signing him for this. They’d be signing football intelligence. They’d be signing him because he would instantly improve the squad. 

BALL CARRYING

If you’ve watched Brandt for any length of time, you already know he isn’t the player who’s going to pick the ball up 40 yards from goal and run through half a team. That’s never really been his game. And I think that’s why I was so underwhelmed when I first watched him, because he wasn’t what I was expecting from a highly rated #10. 

Can he carry the ball? Of course. He’s comfortable driving into space when it’s there, and his numbers are respectable enough. But they’re just that. Respectable. For an attacking midfielder, they’re nothing special. Brandt would much rather move the ball than keep it. There are players who carry teams up the pitch. Brandt’s job is to get the ball to them. 

CREATIVE PROFILE

This is still the best part of the player. His passing and vision has and still remains outstanding.

Bayern-focused analysis earlier this year described him as the “heartbeat” of Dortmund’s creativity and highlighted how he can punish even the slightest mistake: “when Brandt finds space between the lines, Borussia Dortmund’s attack comes alive. His ability to receive on the half-turn, combine quickly, and slip runners into dangerous channels makes him a constant problem. If Bayern Munich’s midfield press lacks coordination for even a moment, Brandt has the vision to punish it instantly.” That is exactly what Leeds currently lack. A player capable of consistently seeing the final pass. The dangerous one. Adding Brandt and Harry Wilson to the attack is actually mouth watering. 

INJURY RECORD

The injury history is actually fairly encouraging. Transfermarkt lists several minor issues across the last two seasons:

• muscle stiffness,
• muscular problems,
• ankle issues,
• a scaphoid fracture.

But there is no obvious catastrophic injury that completely changes the risk profile. For a player approaching 30, that’s reassuring.

FAN OPINION

I started this analysis by discussing how Brandt splits opinions amongst the Dortmund supporters. Some still see a wonderfully gifted footballer who is unfairly criticised whenever results go badly. Others have simply become frustrated by the inconsistency.

One recurring theme from Dortmund discussions is that Brandt has a tendency to disappear from matches. That criticism has existed for years and remains probably the biggest weakness in his profile.  

STRENGTHS

• Creativity
• Vision
• Technique
• Versatility
• Experience

WEAKNESSES

• Consistency
• Physicality
• Intensity
• Age
• Defensive work

FINANCIAL CONTEXT

As with Harry Wilson, the transfer fee is zero. Everything else isn’t.

Reports have suggested Brandt’s representatives are looking for a signing bonus somewhere between €10m-15m given his free-agent status. Add wages, agent fees and bonuses and the overall package quickly becomes substantial.  

That’s before considering the level of competition likely to exist. In the last week, I have seen Atletico Madrid, Bayern Leverkusen, Ajax and Roma all linked with the player. That level of competition will only strengthen the player’s negotiation position. 

It might be reported as free by certain individuals on Twitter or Sky, but Leeds would probably be looking at a package well in excess of £30m. 

OVERALL LEEDS VERDICT

If this was a £25m transfer, I’d probably have concerns. His age means there would be little to no resale value for Leeds. But as a “free” transfer, it’s far more tempting. Brandt isn’t flawless. But he offers something which we lack – the ability to unlock a defence with one pass. Leeds need players with pedigree that can help us to establish ourselves as a Premier League club for years to come. Brandt is exactly that type of player. 

We would be getting a player with genuine Champions League pedigree, elite technical ability and years of experience at one of Germany’s biggest clubs. The risk is obvious. At 30, you’re buying the next two or three years. Not the next decade.

But if Graham Smyth’s reporting proves accurate and Leeds are genuinely exploring the possibility, I completely understand why. Julian Brandt isn’t the future. But he might be exactly the sort of player who helps Leeds survive long enough to find it.