Dortmunds Sebastien Haller (30) was loaned out to CD Leganes in Spain over the summer. But that’s about to change, as the forward is returning to FC Utrecht for the second half of the season.
In search of more playing practice, Sebastien Haller moved to CD Leganes on loan at the last minute of the summer transfer window. But his plan didn’t work out. He only played in eight of the Spanish first division team’s 18 possible games, only once for the full 90 minutes, and didn’t score at all.
As a result, he sought a new option in the winter to really get more game practice. Haller sees this opportunity in the Netherlands at FC Utrecht. The striker already played there between 2015 and 2017, scoring 30 goals in 65 games. The striker will now spend the rest of the current season in the Eredivisie, as his parent club Borussia Dortmund and FC Utrecht confirmed on Thursday evening.
“Everyone knows my situation. I wanted to play again and show myself somewhere for five months,” Haller said in the Dutch club’s press release. ‘There was really only one club I wanted to go to for such a short time. Without Utrecht, it would have been difficult to make such a move. It feels like coming home.’
It was in Utrecht that Haller really took off
In Utrecht, Haller’s career took off. After two years, he was drawn to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he scored 33 goals in 77 games. After spells at West Ham (48 games, ten goals) and Ajax Amsterdam (58 games, 43 goals), the 30-year-old center forward moved to Dortmund in the summer of 2022.
However, after moving to the Ruhr area, Haller developed cancer and was out for a long time. He played for BVB a total of 33 times in the Bundesliga and six times in the Champions League, scoring twelve goals. However, his sporting prospects in Dortmund were not rosy in the summer, so he was sent on loan to Spain. After six months in Spain, the striker is now hoping for a more important role in Utrecht.
As both sides announced, the transfer is still “subject to the approval of the association”. But Haller hopes to be able to play in the away game against the reigning champions Feyenoord Rotterdam next Sunday (2:30 p.m.). “When I got the first call, we were in second place. On the day I signed the contract, we were third. That’s a bit disappointing,” the striker joked.
