The contract negotiations between Borussia Dortmund and Nico Schlotterbeck have been dragging on for months. The turbulent past few days show that the player is in a better situation.
Mixed zone or press conference? This question arises for reporters after football games. The coaches answer in the press conference, and players in the mixed zone answer if they feel like it.
On the Monday after the German national team’s friendly against Ghana, the press conference in Stuttgart offered something extraordinary. A few hours before he was released by his association, Ghana coach Otto Addo sang a birthday serenade for journalists in German.
Arson in Stuttgart
That was very special, but that also applied to the mixed zone, where one player really wanted to say something. “Schlotterbeck has just set BVB on fire”said a reporter who rushed into the press conference room to quickly put the incendiary statement into words.
BVB is playing a very good Bundesliga season, which they will probably finish second in the table behind the much better FC Bayern Munich. Since the successor to the released sports director Sebastian Kehl was immediately settled with Ole Book, the most exciting question seemed to be when Nico Schlotterbeck, whose current contract makes him a free transfer player in 2027, would sign a new contract. The “whether” had been clarified, various media reported and immediately announced that the new contract would be valid until 2031, the central defender could earn up to 14 million euros in the future and could leave the club from summer 2027 thanks to an exit clause.
Schlotterbeck said nothing in Stuttgart about the term, salary and exit clause, but he denied that the signing was imminent. He even said that it would take him longer to make a decision, among other things because he had discussed the status quo of the new contract with Sebastian Kehl and he was no longer there.
Factually correct, but the sports director, whether his name is Kehl or Book, is still subordinate to the sports director. His name is Lars Ricken, he is still there and he was probably involved in the negotiations.
Ricken tried to put out the fire by saying: “Nico’s statements are understandable. We have neither confirmed a breakthrough nor an agreement, so the recent reporting surprised us.” That was a well-thought-out choice of words, because BVB reached an agreement “confirmed” no one had said that.
The mood turns against Schlotterbeck
On Saturday BVB plays at VfB Stuttgart. Schlotterbeck was born in Waiblingen, less than 20 kilometers from the former Neckar Stadium. He played for the Stuttgarter Kickers in his youth. The Cannstatter Curve should still receive him neutrally, whereas the away block could welcome their player with a concert of whistles.
Monday’s incendiary device caused a significant change in mood. “Schwatzgelb.de”, a fanzine with a wide reach, published two articles on the cause during the week. “It’s slowly enough”is the name of one, “Why BVB has to part ways with Nico Schlotterbeck” the other.
Nico Schlotterbeck, 26 years old, should become one, if not the face, of Borussia Dortmund for the near future. The club and the Südtribüne have long been longing for someone like Kevin Großkreutz and Marco Reus, natives of Dortmund, who in their own way stood for something that the listed limited partnership on shares likes to sell as their values.
A very difficult case for Book
It will now be difficult to sell Schlotterbeck, who is playing for a while, as the face of the club. The central defender also puts Book in trouble. The new sports director now has a difficult case on his plate that is distracting him from further planning for the coming season.
Niklas Süle, a central defender, will leave the club, and another central defender, Emre Can, will be out for months due to a torn cruciate ligament. There is already a need for new additions to the position; Schlotterbeck’s departure would be a loss both in terms of quantity and quality. At least that’s the tenor. Schlotterbeck is at least a national player with the prospect of being in national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s starting line-up at the 2026 World Cup.
Known for distinctive self-consciousness
It is all the more remarkable that the Bild newspaper quotes an anonymous “club insider” whose statement is likely to be counterproductive to increasing the market value: “Schlotterbeck is overwhelmed by his own horniness, and he’s been making mistakes in a row for weeks.”
Schlotterbeck is known for his strong self-confidence. The fact that he occasionally has deficiencies in the duel and often advances too quickly and too far, thereby opening up space, is also a factor. But “serial errors” is an exaggeration, even if Schlotterbeck made two bad passes in the international match against Switzerland that led to goals for the opponent.
In the 2-3 draw in the Bundesliga’s top game against Bayern Munich, Schlotterbeck was lucky after a foul that he only saw a yellow card instead of the possible red card. He later caused a penalty through poor tackling.
However, he also gave BVB a 1-0 lead with his last of four goals of the season. With 15 goals in 170 Bundesliga games for SC Freiburg, 1. FC Union Berlin and BVB, Schlotterbeck has a good rate for a central defender. However, he did not score in any of his 25 international matches or in any of his 39 appearances in the Champions League.
A comparatively large number of his long passes, which he likes to play diagonally to the right, arrive. Even with sharp flat passes, he opens the game as well as most coaches would like.
Coach Kovač accuses the media of lying
Schlotterbeck’s club coach Niko Kovač was asked on Thursday during the press conference before the game at VfB whether the Schlotterbeck issue was bothering him after it made headlines. “It wasn’t Schlotti who produced the headlines, but rather those who put something into the world that wasn’t true.”said Kovač, who later even called it a “lie”.
When asked, it sounded a little different. “It was unfortunate that the name Sebastian Kehl came up, so it was a coincidence. It’s primarily about BVB. You talk to BVB. I think that’s what Schlotti wanted to say. Now he’s talking to Ole, but that’s BVB.”said Kovač.
Kovač: “We will do everything to ensure that he stays with us”
Regarding the prospects of Schlotterbeck signing a new contract, the coach said: “I’m very positive myself. He’s a really good player. A player we need, a player we all love, including me personally. So we’ll do everything we can to ensure he stays with us.”
This means that the fire that Kovač believes the media started has at least been contained. Time has been gained, which Schlotterbeck in particular can use to push through further demands.
After his goals, Nico Schlotterbeck always pulls up his sleeve to show the biceps on his left arm. It is a muscle of professional football at the highest level that turns a saying into its opposite: “Whoever gets the money determines the music.”
