Second division club Eintracht Braunschweig is fighting to stay in the league. Whether the best player in the squad will also wear the jersey of the Lions in 2023/24 is questionable.

Immanuël Pherai was one of Borussia Dortmund’s best youth players in the last decade. The Dutchman moved to BVB’s youth department in 2017.

A year later, he led the U17s to a 3-2 victory over FC Bayern Munich in the final of the German championship with two goals and an assist. In 2019, he scored once and set up two goals in the U19s’ final coup against VfB Stuttgart (5:3). For the U17s and U19s, the Amsterdam native was directly involved in 54 goals in 67 games.

Surprisingly, however, Pherai never made the breakthrough at the professional level and has only played one Bundesliga game for Borussia – over a minute against SpVgg Greuther Fürth in May 2022. The 21-year-old was almost exclusively used by the U23s and turned down a contract extension there to move to second-division club Eintracht Braunschweig last summer.

At the Löwen, he took off right away and is the clear difference-maker there. During the winter break, he was ranked outstanding by “kicker” in the ranking of attacking midfielders.

His record: 21 competitive games, seven goals, five assists. It comes as no surprise that these strong performances are arousing desires. According to information from Sky, Pherai has attracted the attention of Bundesliga side 1. FC Köln, among others, who are interested in his services. According to the broadcaster, the tricky ten-man would fit perfectly into the requirements profile of Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart: Young, fast, offensively strong and capable of development.

In addition, “Sky” reports that Pherai would also be affordable for the thrifty Cologne side, as the 21-year-old has an exit clause in his contract, which runs until 2024, which makes it possible for him to leave the Lower Saxons for a high six-figure sum as early as next summer.

It will be exciting to see where the Dutchman’s path leads. It is quite possible that he will meet Borussia Dortmund again next season – but then as an opponent.