Soumaïla Coulibaly

Key strength: Aerial dominance

Defensive anchor

At Borussia Dortmund, where the Black and Yellows sit 2nd in the Bundesliga navigating a patchy WWLWL run, a quiet development project is unfolding on the training pitches. Soumaïla Coulibaly, the 22-year-old French centre-back valued at €6 million, represents European football's most patient archetype—the talent in waiting. With zero appearances and zero minutes this campaign, Coulibaly watches from the periphery as Niklas Süle marshals the backline and emerging talents seize their moments. Yet that solitary yellow card on his record hints at intensity bubbling beneath the surface—a 'defensive anchor' whose 58 defending and 55 physical stats suggest aerial dominance once given the chance. For a player of his profile, Dortmund's defensive hierarchy presents a formidable wall to breach. But at 22, time remains his ally. The question hovering over Signal Iduna Park isn't whether Coulibaly possesses the tools to anchor that backline—it's whether Edin Terzić's high-pressure environment, chasing silverware on multiple fronts, will grant him the minutes to prove it.