Sports Weekly all-media reporter Huang Sijun
Niko Schlossbeck reneged on his word. The 22-year-old popular Germany international did not wait until the end of the season to decide on his future, but, as Bild reported two weeks ago, had fallen in love with Dortmund early on. With the last two league rounds of the season remaining, plus the German Cup final against leipzig RB, the Freiburg defender signed with Borussia Dortmund. He is Dortmund's official second new summer-window signing after another German international centre-back, Jules( who has moved freely from Bayern).
On 2 May, Niko Schlotterbeek signed a five-year contract with Borussia Dortmund.
After weakening Bayern, the tiger took the bite out
Even before the 3-1 away win over Hamburg in the Bundesliga on the evening of 19 April, Bild reported that Niko Sloterbek had decided to switch to Borussia Dortmund. But after the game, Schrootbeck immediately debunked the rumors, "I will make a decision at the end of the season." "Apart from Dortmund, Bayern are also interested in Schlossbeck, but the top is not entirely convinced of his current strength. Despite the news that Bayern wanted to cut off the merger with a higher salary, Dortmund eventually completed the acquisition at a cost of 20 million euros plus 5 million floats. Schlotterbeck signed a five-year contract with Borussia Dortmund for around €4.5 million a year before tax, less than half of Jules' salary.
The most surprising thing is that Schlotterbeck's successor in Freiburg is also on the verge of being called out, and it is the German international Güntel who has a contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach expired and has scandals with domestic and foreign clubs such as Inter Milan, Bayern and Aston Villa – although it has not yet been officially announced, he has returned to the arms of his mentor Streicht! After watching his teammates beat Leipzig RB 3-1 from the bench on Monday night, Ginter saw hopes for his home team in the Champions League next season as Freiburg finished 4th in the Bundesliga table after 32 rounds, leading Leipzig by one point.
Ahead of the move, Schrodbeck is also expected to help Freiburg reach the Champions League and lift the German Cup.
Regardless of Whether Freiburg can reach the Champions League in history, Schlotterbeck will play in the Champions League for the first time before the World Cup in Qatar and improve his competitiveness in the national team. Schrootbeck is a left-footer, Jules is a right-footer and Borussia Dortmund's new centre-back combination is on the horizon. Bild revealed that Hummels, a veteran who has been injured and in serious decline in competitive status this season, has supported the introduction of Sloterbek and is mentally prepared to be a substitute for the new signing. If you play three centre-backs, the combination of the old, middle-aged and young German internationals is also picturesque - if The old Hu is in a state of recovery next season, Flick can also move this combination directly to the national team. As for the Swiss centre-back Arcangi, whose contract is only one year left, it is possible to find another high this summer, and Manchester United, Juventus, AC Milan and other giants have spread rumors with him.
So far this season, Borussia Dortmund have conceded as many as 50 goals in 32 league games – three against Bayern including the Super Cup, four at home against Ajax, Wanderers, Leipzig RB and last weekend against promoted Ma bochum, and five goals against Bayer Leverkusen, making them the worst defensive team in Europe in the Bundesliga table. The opening of this summer's series of player sales with two of the best performances in the Bundesliga this season (Schlotterbeck and Jules in the top 2 of the Bundesliga center-back list during the winter break of "Kicker") also showed Dortmund's determination to change his mind and regain his strength.
For the melon-eating masses who are eager for a team to break Bayern's monopoly on the Bundesliga as soon as possible, Dortmund's two acquisitions have undoubtedly given them more and more concrete hope. Although Jules' transfer is not strictly a "poaching" in the sense of the word, Bayern's desire to stay is not strong, but Dortmund's deal has at least theoretically weakened their direct competitors. And Schlotterbeck is also a prey for Bayern, and signing him is somehow a predator.
Kyle: I remember myself
Interestingly, Kyle, the current dortmund pro team manager, also switched from Freiburg to Dortmund like Schrotterbeck, and Dortmund also won his signature by beating Bayern. In fact, Kyle's transfer that year was one of the most dramatic and controversial deals in Bundesliga history, and a classic example of the many fierce clashes in the history of Bayern and Dortmund.
As a player, Kyle also joined Borussia Dortmund after his debut in Freiburg.
Kyle was a talented defensive midfielder, especially at the turn of the century in German football, and he was recognized as two stars of hope with his peers, And Bayern, who was badly aging at the time, decisively added the two to the buying list. In December 2001, Sport Picture magazine revealed that Kyle had promised Bayern and had received a "signing fee" believed to be 1.5 million Deutsche Marks (Bayern's then manager, Uli Hoeness, had taken a similar approach before bringing in Desler from Hertha Berlin, which was highly controversial after media disclosure). Hoeness responded: "The details in the Sports Pictures report are completely wrong. The only fact is that Kyle will join Bayern, who made a transfer pledge in the summer. ”
Under the agreement, Kyle could choose to join after the 2002 World Cup (along with Daisler) or wait until the contract with Freiburg expired in the summer of 2003. Just when Bayern thought the winner was in hand, Dortmund was secretly working hard, and the manager at the time, Michael Meier, approached the head of Freiburg and Kyle's agent, "We found that his contract had a termination clause that we could use." So just nine days after Hoeness announced kyle's love affair with Bayern, Kyle decided to switch to Dortmund on "athletic grounds" (and he had already refunded the "signing fee" to Bayern in a lump sum), and Dortmund paid Freiburg about 3.8 million Deutsche Marks (3.2 million euros) for the termination.
As a result, a war of words broke out between Bayern and Dortmund. Hoeness attacked the untrustworthy Kyle, accusing him of defaulting and even threatening to take him to labour court, while Meier accused Hoeness of paying the "signing fee" in advance as a "scandal" and that "the player may have to play Bayern twice on behalf of his club." Imagine we were going to play Against Hertha and lend Marcelinho 500,000 marks before that. Eventually, under the tutelage of Welfried Straub, then president of the German Professional Football League, the two clubs reached a settlement agreement. At his 50th birthday party on January 5, 2002, Hoeness also invited Meyer, who had known him for 30 years, and Dortmund's then-president, Nibaum. A day later, Dortmund announced the signing of Kyle from Freiburg.
From Freiburg to Borussia Dortmund, Schrodbeck returned to Kyle's old path.
Now, when officially announcing The Schrotterbeck deal, Kyle is unabashed about his experience, "Nico's path reminds me of my own, because at his age, I also came to Dortmund from Freiburg as a young international. I hope Dortmund will be his new home, just like I was then. Nico has great potential. He did not choose the one that gave him the best financial conditions among the many clubs that interested him, but insisted on choosing Dortmund in order to seek further competitive development here. ”
Kyle "revenge" Salihamidzic?
As soon as Kyle joined Borussia Dortmund, he immediately tasted the Bundesliga title under Summer, and participated in the 2002 World Cup, and at the end of his career, he won two more Bundesliga titles and 1 German Cup under Klopp, becoming the captain and legend of Dortmund. However, due to serious injuries, the talented player was unable to grow into a national team leader like Barak, and the initiator was Salihamidzic, who is now the sports director at Bayern. In the first round of the Bundesliga season in 2006/07, there was a fierce confrontation between the two. Sully's right-footed tackle hit Kyle's left knee, causing serious trauma. Kyle's wounds later became repeatedly infected, causing him to truce for nearly half a year before returning. Since then, Borussia Dortmund have been plagued by injuries and the international career has been unsustainable after the 2006 World Cup.
This confrontation with Salihamidzic turned Kyle's playing career from prosperity to decline.
Now, kyle, 42, will succeed retired Zork this summer as Borussia Dortmund's new sporting director. He and Sally will reignite the war between Dortmund and Bayern, while the deal between Jules and Schlotterbeck is just the beginning. Kyle's next acquisition is likely to be german international Adejemi, who has just helped Red Bull Salzburg become Austria's double champion once again. The 20-year-old speed striker has been outcryous with Dortmund earlier than Schlotterbeck, and he is also inextricably linked to Bayern – having trained for two years at bayern's academy before being fired for disciplinary issues and is now one of Bayern's (secondary) acquisition targets.
Anything else? Of course! Leipzig RB midfielder Lemmer, who is rumored to be the man Bayern boss Nagelsmann wants, is also the man Dortmund boss Rozer wants. Belgian veteran Witsel has personally admitted that he will leave the team at the end of this season when his contract expires, so Dortmund urgently need to make reinforcements in the defensive midfield position. Rozer, who had worked in Salzburg for six years, wanted to get the two old ministries, Lemer and Xavier Schlager (Wolfsburg). The 24-year-old Lemer and Schlager are both talents brought out of the youth team by Rozer, and the two have similar styles, both are very much in line with Roze's tactical requirements of the kind of "running undead", with strong offensive and defensive conversion ability, but also have the same hidden dangers - the past two years have been seriously injured.
Will Lemer be Witsel's successor?
According to Bild, Lemer was Rozer's first choice, and Schlager was just a candidate. Both have only one year left on their contract with the current club, and the possibility of a transfer this summer is not small. Bild also revealed that Rozer often stressed his love for Lemer to those around him. In Leipzig's 4-1 away win over Borussia Dortmund in early April, Lemer played the masterpiece of his Bundesliga career in front of ensign, scoring twice in the first half and cleverly assisting Nkunku in the second half. It would be interesting if Lemer did leave Leipzig this summer and chose Borussia Dortmund over Bayern!
Buy people for a while, use well to always be cool
Of course, Borussia Dortmund can't blindly recruit reinforcements, but also have to clear up redundant personnel, and only Birki and Witsel are currently determined to leave the team at the end of their contracts. In recent years, a considerable number of dortmund's high-priced acquisitions have been quite bad, especially a few German internationals, the most unsuccessful of which is Schueler, who hastily hung up his boots in the summer of 2020. Borussia Dortmund brought in Wolfsburg in the summer of 2016 for a record-breaking 30 million euros, and the 2014 World Cup winner played just 51 games and scored eight goals. Borussia Dortmund loaned him to Fulham and then to Spartacus Moscow, only to recover a small amount of their losses.
Schultz and Brent, who joined in the summer of 2019, are now not doing well at Dortmund.
Another terrible acquisition was the introduction of Nico Schultz from Hoffenheim for €25.5 million in the summer of 2019. The left-back, who had just become popular in Germany at the time, was seriously dissatisfied and injured, playing only 60 games in three seasons, and now even falling behind the 17-year-old academy youngster Tom Roth. The most important thing is that Schultz's annual salary is as high as 6 million euros, and there are 2 years left in the contract, Dortmund is eager to unload this financial burden this summer, the psychological price is only about 6 million, but it is not easy to find a receiver.
Brent, who joined Schultz at the same time, also spent As much as 25 million euros on Dortmund. Statistically, Brent's performance this season is already the best since he joined the club - 7 goals and 8 assists in 29 Bundesliga games, but the ups and downs are too big. If it weren't for the long-term injury suspension of American rising star Renner, he wouldn't have had so many opportunities to play. To this day, Brandt has not grown into the offensive core of Dortmund, and it is a world away from Reus's performance in the same period after his return from Borussia Moncheng. Dragged down by club performances, Brent was gradually reduced to a marginal position in the national team, missing last summer's European Championship and losing consecutive elections in the early days of Flick's tenure.
Jules and Adeyemmi are expected to fight side by side at Dortmund.
Ahead of the international break in March, Flick called up as many as 26 players but not a single Dortmund player, and Brandt only came in as a by-election. In addition to the main and vice-captains Reus and Hummels, who are mainly dragged down by age and injury, Brandt, Emre Jan, Schultz, Dahoud, who are in their current years of german internationals (only Dahud grew into an international after coming to Dortmund), the development of Dortmund is unconvincing. From this point of view, how to make good use of the new German internationals – Jules and Schlotterbeek (and Adeyemy) will be an important issue for Rozer and Dortmund. Buy people for a while, use it well to keep cool, all use it well to rip off Bayern's leather pants!