In the Bundesliga’s latest “Midweek Interview”, Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel had a chance to talk about the upcoming season and the changes to the BVB squad. The departure of Julian Brandt, Karim Adeyemi, and Niklas Süle left plenty of space and wages for Ole Book and Lars Ricken to work with.
The signing of Genk’s Konstantinos Karetsas, PAOK’s Giannis Konstantelias, and PSV’s Joey Veerman in the build up to the season kick-off has certainly given Dortmund fans something to be excited about. Kobel knows that a step-up is required, but shares his enthusiasm:
“Today was only my first real team training. But with Karetsas, our new Greek talent, you don’t need a lot of time to see that he has a lot of quality on the ball, that he’s a great player and that he has a lot of potential. We have a lot of young guys with a lot of potential, and I’m really excited about what they can bring to the team and about their everyday work. They’re going to improve and feel how the game is played here. Maybe it’s a little faster, maybe it’s a little more physical, depending on which league you’re coming from. We’ll see."
There are big expectations, especially on the shoulders of BVB’s Greek signings. The 28-year-old notes that they can’t rely on their new signings to fly from day one. He continues:
“If you play for Dortmund, you know how it is: you need to get your qualities onto the pitch every three days. But on the other hand, with a lot of young guys, it’s not fair to expect them to carry the team every three days. It’s going to be a team effort. The guys who have been here longer need to bring them together, prepare them for the season and help them build their confidence. The other guys, of course, need to show their talent as well.”
Dortmund have continued their tradition of going in for talented youngsters with the hope of creating a star. When asked whether the new signings could be the next star to come from Dortmund, Kobel was apprehensive to put that pressure on his new teammates too early.
“We can’t really tell right now. We had a few really good pre-season friendlies where you could see some qualities and potential. But you can’t really compare the friendlies with the intensity of the league, the Champions League and international football. Every single one needs to show what they can do. In the end, when the season starts we’ll see who’s ready and who isn’t.”
The Dortmund No. 1 made it clear that head coach Niko Kovac expects more than talent from his new players, attributing their defensive performances in the 2025-26 season to high work rate and strength in duels. Dortmund conceded just 34 goals last season, the lowest in the league.
“Our coach is very demanding about what you have to do physically. He watches very closely what you do physically. It’s a team effort. Our defence was very good last season, but it’s a team effort. We need every single player to defend if we want to stop the opponent. I think that’s really important this season too. I think this is something that made us strong last year, and the coach is also really focused on it. So I’m not really worried about that.”
Kobel adds to this by outlining a need to create more chances than last season, a need that could be filled by these new signings.
“I think we need to create more chances for ourselves. I think we did a really good job in a lot of areas, especially on free kicks, corners and set pieces. I think we should continue with what made us strong and maybe sprinkle something extra in here and there. We have a lot of players who have quality now. We’ll see how we mix it together.”
With Schalke back in the Bundesliga, the Swiss international is looking forward to taking on their Ruhr rivals once again, or in his case, for the first time in black and yellow.
“I think it’s a great game. I love these games, and I think it’s a good one for the fans and also for the Bundesliga to have them back. It’s going to be very competitive. They’re always hard games to play in, but that’s also why we like to play football and be on the pitch. It was only two games. It was one season when they were in the first division, and sadly, I wasn’t able to play in those two games. But I’m looking forward to them.”
Leave a Comment