Was with head “still somewhere else”
After a disappointing start at Borussia Dortmund, Karim Adeyemi was in top form at the beginning of the year, but was then sidelined by a torn muscle fibre. In particular, in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Chelsea (1-0) in mid-February, the 21-year-old winger made a clear statement with a goal after a long solo run. Adeyemi, who is about to return to the squad, definitely wants to continue this strong period and not his sluggish start. However, the summer newcomer from Salzburg does not see his 30 million transfer fee as an obstacle.
“I’ve heard from other players that they feel pressure because of a high transfer fee. It’s different for me, I stay very relaxed. I always say to myself: ‘It’s going to be the way it’s supposed to be.’ I reflected on it myself that the first six months in Dortmund were disappointing. It won’t get any worse,” Adeyemi said in an interview with “WAZ“. BVB only put more money on the table for three players in its club history. Born in Munich, he has so far delivered six goals and three assists in 24 games across all competitions, and his market value has remained constant at EUR 35 million since the end of 2021.
Schlotterbeck to Dembélé: BVB’s most expensive additions
Adeyemi maintains open communication with head coach Edin Terzic. “We exchanged ideas during the preparation. He wants me to play to my strengths, my pace,” explained the attacker, who played four times for the German national team and was in the squad for the World Cup, but was not used. And further: “I should do what I didn’t do during the first six months at Borussia Dortmund, as I could have done because subconsciously my head was somewhere else. I kind of probably wasn’t ready, but I put that down. And I never doubted that Dortmund was the right address for me.”
In 2023, the offensive man made a stronger impression, which should also be due to a few fine adjustments by the player. “I had written down New Year’s resolutions and tried to achieve them. I did well at first. If you want to play consistently convincingly at such a level, it’s important to be fit both physically and mentally. I’ve been working on both things,” said Adeyemi, revealing that he enlisted the help of a mental coach to “get a stronger head and prepare myself properly for every game. As you can see, that helped me.” On Saturday (6:30 p.m.), BVB will face Adeyemi’s former youth club Bayern Munich in the top Bundesliga game.
Karim Adeyemi in the TM interview!
To home page