At the beginning, coach Niko Kovac is now firmly in the saddle at Borussia Dortmund. A decision about his BVB future could be made earlier than expected.
“We deliberately gave Niko a contract until 2026 in February. Niko is not a firefighter. We wanted to make it clear to the players that he is also there next season and that they really have to follow him,” said sports managing director Lars Ricken opposite “Bild” to the decision to install Niko Kovac after the separation from Nuri Sahin as a new chief coach.
Contrary to all the calls from the BVB environment, the former instructor of Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Bayern and VfL Wolfsburg delivered: under Kovac’s direction, BVB managed an impressive catch-up in the final sprint of the season. The black and yellow still reached the Minimalziel Champions League, which was no longer considered possible.
Nevertheless, BVB threatens the “Lame Duck” discussion in the football business. Because: Kovac is in his last year of the contract. The scenario that Ricken and Co. wanted to prevent in February threatens to become a reality.
So far it was said that both sides have been relaxed with a view of a possible extension into the near future. According to Ricken, however, a very close framework for deciding on further cooperation is already fixed. “We discussed the time of time for the coming months and said: We will discuss everything in peace after the club World Cup,” said the Champions League hero from 1997.
BVB: Lars Ricken had to make “difficult decisions”
Behind Ricken is a busy phase in which the 48-year-old also had to take up hard as a newcomer in his position. “I broke up with a total of eleven employees last season,” he said. “It was human all difficult decisions.”
It was also “very difficult” to tell BVB professionals the end of the work of Sahin’s interim successor Mike Tullberg. “He brought life to the booth. But I wanted someone external,” said Borussia’s sports boss.
Ricken explained: “I had the feeling that I had the feeling that the expectations from the outside were there with Edin Terzic and Nuri Sahin that in every interview you would have to tell your love, heart and longing for BVB. I wanted to be someone in Niko who does not have this pressure and just could be a coach.”