Borussia Dortmund has appointed a new head coach in hopes of revitalizing a season that has been disappointing thus far. Niko Kova? officially began his role as the manager on Sunday, taking over from Mike Tullberg, who served as an unbeaten interim coach after stepping in from the under-19 setup. Tullberg filled the gap for three matches following the dismissal of Nuri Sahin, a beloved figure from his playing days, who was let go after leading the team to four consecutive losses to start the year.
On Monday, the final day of the winter transfer window, Dortmund was actively pursuing new signings. The club announced that Swedish defender Daniel Svensson would be joining on loan from FC Nordsjælland, with an option for a permanent deal. Additionally, they are anticipating the arrival of Chelsea winger Carney Chukwuemeka and Ajax goalkeeper Diant Ramaj. However, an attempt to secure Lyon midfielder Rayan Cherki fell through, as Lyon’s owner, American businessman John Textor, rejected a reported bid of 22.5 million euros (approximately $23.2 million) for the 21-year-old player.
Kova? faces a tight schedule to incorporate any new players before the upcoming Bundesliga match against Stuttgart on Saturday. Stuttgart, last season’s runners-up, is looking to end a three-game losing streak in all competitions, aiming to bounce back against Augsburg in the German Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Dortmund has already faced elimination from that competition at the hands of Wolfsburg, one of Kova?’s former teams.
Niko Kova?, who hails from Berlin and had a successful playing career as a midfielder for Croatia, made his mark as a coach with significant achievements. He first garnered attention leading Eintracht Frankfurt to a DFB-Pokal triumph over Bayern Munich in 2018, before going on to guide Bayern Munich to a league and cup double the following season. However, he will need to navigate not just on-field challenges, as there are reports of internal discord among significant club figures like sporting director Lars Ricken, sporting director Sebastian Kehl, and team planner Sven Mislintat. Chief executive Hans-Joachim “Aki” Watzke is also slated to step down at the end of the year.
Sahin, although inexperienced as a head coach after serving as an assistant to Edin Terzi? last season, faced considerable hurdles in his brief tenure. He is now the latest in a line of managers, with Kova? becoming the ninth since Jürgen Klopp departed in 2015. Kova?’s primary goal is to guide Dortmund to a top-four finish in the Bundesliga, which would secure Champions League qualification. Currently, the team sits in 11th place in the 18-team league, four points shy of the fourth-placed Leipzig after 20 matches.
Following the confrontation with Stuttgart, Dortmund will compete in the Champions League playoffs against Sporting Lisbon, with an away game scheduled for February 11 and a home match on February 19. Kova? will need to address the vulnerabilities in the team’s defense, which has been plagued by lapses in concentration and glaring errors. Notably, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel’s recent giveaway to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League highlighted these issues. Defender Waldemar Anton has not been performing at the level he showcased at Stuttgart last season, and forward Serhou Guirassy has also struggled to find his footing after transferring from Stuttgart, where he excelled with 28 goals in 28 Bundesliga appearances.
Kova? is expected to gain insights from Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß on maximizing player performance when they meet again in the Bundesliga this Saturday.
