Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac says his collaboration with sporting director Lars Ricken has been “very, very good” as the club prepare to face Hoffenheim in the second round of the Bundesliga on 5 September.
Kovac was speaking at his pre-match news conference after a transfer window in which Dortmund signed only players from abroad. He said Ricken had worked constantly to strengthen the squad, describing the partnership as a major reason why the club had completed its business smoothly.
“If I talk about this now, people should not deduce what happened in the past, neither here nor elsewhere in the club,” Kovac said. “This question is about Ricken. I think our collaboration is very, very good.”
The Dortmund coach said Ricken had been focused on squad building from the moment he arrived, regularly working around the clock to complete deals.
“He has been thinking about how we can strengthen the team. And he thinks about it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” Kovac said. “So I have to say, I don’t even know if he’s ever taken a day off.”
Kovac added that the final transfer had been negotiated until late at night and suggested Ricken should take time to rest after the demanding period. He said the outcome was particularly pleasing given the level at which Dortmund now operate.
“I am glad that everything could be completed so smoothly,” he said, while also congratulating Ricken again for his work.
Foreign signings and Germany’s national team
Kovac was also asked whether Dortmund’s decision to recruit exclusively from abroad could weaken the connection between Germany’s second-largest club and the Germany national team.
He rejected that concern, pointing to the German players already in his squad who were involved at the World Cup. The coach believes four of them will return to the national team set-up in the future, although he acknowledged that selection will depend on Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann and the players’ fitness.
Kovac said it could be difficult for Dortmund to make another signing, as many major clubs face the same situation. He accepted that a squad made up largely of internationals could benefit other national teams more than Germany, but insisted that the principal consideration had to be quality.
“We have excellent German internationals, while other excellent German internationals play for other top clubs,” he said.
The coach also revealed that former Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp had not told him in advance that he planned to visit the club. Klopp has recently begun making training visits to several Bundesliga sides.
Hoffenheim threat
Kovac expects a demanding contest against Hoffenheim, despite their defeat in their opening match. He credited Christian Ilzer and Andreas Schicker with creating a clear identity at the club, having previously worked together in Graz.
The Dortmund manager said Hoffenheim had developed into an intense and aggressive side that attacked vertically, defended forcefully and covered significant distances. He argued that the transformation had required patience, particularly in a league where managers are often given little time.
“It is important to ultimately give someone time,” Kovac said. “You need to give him time to implement things, and you also need to give him the opportunity to experience transfer windows. And not just one transfer window, maybe two or three.”
He warned that Hoffenheim’s opening loss would not make Saturday’s fixture easier. Dortmund have experienced closely fought meetings with them in each of the past two seasons, including a late 3-2 victory after Kovac arrived at the club.
“In the end, these matches are about details,” Kovac said. “The key is who can execute those details better, who can hold on a little longer and achieve a little more than the opponent. I hope that is us.”
Dortmund began their campaign with a positive result against Hamburg, and Kovac wants his side to carry that momentum into the meeting with Hoffenheim.
Adeyemi competition
Kovac acknowledged that Dortmund had struggled more in away matches against similar opponents last season, including in the game against Stuttgart referenced during the news conference. However, he said the team’s development should be judged across the campaign rather than only by its poorer performances.
He also highlighted the importance of Karim Adeyemi, who missed that Stuttgart match, and welcomed the arrival of another player capable of operating in the same position.
Dortmund do not want to become dependent on one individual, Kovac said, adding that the team must not rely solely on Jadon Sancho either. Instead, he wants greater flexibility, with several players able to contribute and rotation possible without reducing the overall standard.
“We want to rotate without compromising the quality of the team,” Kovac said. “That is the most crucial point.”
Kovac has therefore set Dortmund a clear target for the trip to Hoffenheim: victory. He said points were especially important at the start of the season, when every side was still trying to reach full fitness and consistency.
“No matter who our opponent is, we want to win every game,” he said. “Whether it’s away or at home, that’s the case. So we will go to Hoffenheim with the goal of winning the game there.”
