Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovač has delivered a clear and largely positive assessment of the concluded summer transfer window. Despite a bitter setback from a severe knee injury to new signing Giannis Konstantelias, the coach sees the squad as technically enhanced. The Black and Yellows started the new Bundesliga season with a 2:0 victory and sit in fifth place with three points.
BVB's transfer activities began with a failed attempt to sign Said El Mala from 1. FC Köln. As an alternative, the club subsequently signed two Greek attacking players: Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias. The latter, however, suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury in the second match of the season, a 2:0 win against Hamburger SV, and is out long-term. In response, Dortmund secured the loan of English U21 international Ethan Nwaneri from FC Arsenal. Also, Joane Gadou and Joey Veerman joined the squad. On the sales side, the club generated good money from the departure of Karim Adeyemi.
The BVB coach explicitly praised the work of the scouting department and sporting director Lars Ricken as well as CEO Ole Book. "Credit to the scouting department and Lars (Ricken) and Ole (Book). A player who is fit. He could play immediately." said Kovač about Ethan Nwaneri. The coach expressed contentment with the transfer business. "We, and I deliberately say we, are very satisfied with the transfer window." he emphasized.
The injury to Giannis Konstantelias is a severe blow to the team's planning. He is now part of a group of players currently unavailable. Alongside him, Justin Lerma, Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini are also missing. An overview of all absences is available on our injuries page. Despite these absences, Kovač sees the squad as well-equipped, especially in the right-back position. There, he named Julian, Maxi and Daniel Svensson as options. The defense looked solid in the first match, conceding no goals while scoring two.
The focus now shifts entirely to the next competitive match. As early as tomorrow, Friday, September 5th, 2026, Borussia Dortmund will play their second match of the season. They travel to face TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, who currently sit in twelfth place in the table. All upcoming fixtures can be found on our fixtures page. Ole Book, who completed his first Bundesliga transfer window as CEO, stated he worked around the clock. He did not mention taking a single day off. The team now aims to translate the positive transfer balance into further success on the pitch and secure a second season win against Hoffenheim.
