Borussia Dortmund are heading into the new season with a more youthful squad. Whilst several key players have left BVB, promising young talents are set to bring a breath of fresh air to the squad and spark new competition for places. Ahead of their clash with FC Bayern in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, we’ve taken a closer look at coach Niko Kovač’s side.
Karetsas, Gadou & Co: BVB’s new signings
Two key players from recent years left Borussia Dortmund this summer. Karim Adeyemi moved to Barcelona, whilst Julian Brandt joined Ajax. In addition, former Bayern defender Niklas Süle retired from professional football. The departures of Salih Özcan to Besiktas, Yan Couto on loan to Como and Julien Duranville to Lyon also initially reduced the depth of the BVB squad.
In return, several promising young talents have joined the Black and Yellows, with a view to stepping up competition for places. Only one of Borussia’s summer signings is currently over 23 years old; their marquee signing, Konstantinos Karetsas, is just 18. The Greek attacker arrived from KRC Genk and has already really impressed in his first friends. In addition, his compatriot Giannis Konstantelias has also joined the squad; the 23-year-old was signed from Thessaloniki and feels right at home in midfield – just like Dortmund’s latest signing: Joey Veerman is set to pull the strings in the center of the park. The 27-year-old arrived from PSV.
Niklas Süle’s place in the squad has been taken by Joane Gadou. The 1.95-metre-tall centre-back most recently turned out for RB Salzburg. Also joining Dortmund are left-back Kauã Prates from Brazil and midfielder Justin Lerma from Colombia.
Friendlies: Success against Arsenal
In the pre-season friends, the new signings have already shown that they were not brought in merely as squad cover. In the 3–2 win against Arsenal, 18-year-old Samuele Inácio found the net alongside Karetsas and Gadou. The forward had already had a taste of professional football last season. The match against the Champions League finalists was one of BVB’s six pre-season friends in which they recorded three wins, two defeats and, most recently, a 2–2 draw against Roma.
FC Bayern are set to face a BVB side that’s banking on young players with potential. Karetsas, Gadou and Inacio have already made their mark during pre-season. Now the young Dortmund talents – who have been boosted in recent days by the more experienced new arrivals Veerman and Konstantelias – will be keen to show in the Supercup that they’re ready for the big stage.
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