Kehl successor presented
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Welcome to the Champions League! It was quickly made clear to the new sports director from the Saarland province at the start how great the expectations are at his heart club. “We’ve got a lot of life in the place. That’s part of the core DNA at BVB,” said club boss Carsten Cramer, who is determined to get Borussia Dortmund back on track for the title, and announced Ole Book with big words.
“We don’t just want to press the reset button, we really want to start an update,” said Cramer, describing the successor to Sebastian Kehl, who was fired on Sunday, as the “missing piece of the puzzle for the new BVB.” Sports director Lars Ricken made it clear what the new BVB should look like: The Dortmund team wants to become a real opponent of Bayern Munich again and obviously no longer trusts Kehl to get there. “If we want to get a little closer to Bayern, we need a homogeneous squad. That’s what Ole stands for,” said Ricken.
The message is clear: The 40-year-old Book should prove his instinct at a much higher level than at SV Elversberg in the 2nd league, turn players into valuable players and develop a squad that meets international standards. “The pearls here are players who are undervalued and who are developing well at Borussia Dortmund,” said Book, rejecting reservations that the jump to becoming a permanent guest in the Champions League could still be a step too big for him.
Book only had an exit clause for BVB
“Good footballers are also good footballers across all leagues. The approach is very similar. I now have completely different options here,” said the former second division professional, who also explicitly pointed out that he had continued his training “even in top international football” in recent years.
The Münsterland native from Beckum, which is only around 60 kilometers from Dortmund, certainly has the necessary self-confidence. He had an exit clause written into his contract with the second division village club from Saarland – only for BVB. “That shows self-confidence and foresight,” said Ricken about what he believed to be the “best possible sports director for Borussia Dortmund.”
In any case, there should be no lack of identification. Book has been a BVB fan since childhood and used to watch games with his father from the south stand. “Of course it was a dream,” said Book about his new job, where the spotlight is brighter than in tranquil Elversberg. “Basically, I won’t run out of challenges in the next few days and weeks. I’m aware of that,” said Kehl’s successor, from whom the bosses would like a less hesitant approach, which, despite all their appreciation, they subtly accused Kehl of and which is why they contacted Book at the end of January.
Clear mission: BVB should attack again
“We have to be prepared to tackle changes,” emphasized Cramer, who painted a picture of a necessary construction site: “We’re not talking about a completely new building. We have a fancy house. But it still has room for expansion.”
At least in terms of content, Book sees it similarly. “Maybe there are a few details where I have the feeling that we can develop the squad a little further.” In this regard, he wanted to “throw himself into work very quickly and get started”. What he has in mind should make the hearts of demanding BVB fans beat faster. “The new path will certainly have a certain appeal,” said Book. “I stood and stand for courageous and offensive football.”
However, one of his first official acts concerned him with a current BVB professional. The contract extension with Nico Schlotterbeck, which Kehl had initiated, has become more likely again and now needs to be finalized for the new man. “I’m on the topic, I’ve already written to Nico,” reported Book.
