BREAKING NEWS: Dortmund appoints Niko Kovac to replace Nuri Şahin as Borussia Dortmund manager
BREAKING NEWS: Dortmund appoints Niko Kovac to replace Nuri Şahin as Borussia Dortmund manager
Nuri Şahin has barely had enough time to clear his office, but the reports about his replacement as
Borussia Dortmund’s head coach are already dropping.
Sky Sports’ Patrick Berger has reported that Niko Kovac is in the running to take over on an interim basis.
Bild, meanwhile, has reported that Kovac is the favorite for the job and could be considered permanently if he performs well.
Berger has also clarified some recent reports about Dortmund’s potential search for a new manager,
stating that Erik ten Hag is not being considered right now (though he remains popular and is on the
shortlist for a potential summer hire). He adds that Roger Schmidt is another coach who is being considered,
but Schmidt is not willing to come in halfway through the season and has concerns about the club’s
leadership structure.
Niko Kovac most recently spent a couple of seasons at Wolfsburg, having previously managed the Croatian national team, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern Munich, and Monaco. He has a reputation for getting teams to play simple, well-structured, and well-organized football and for maintaining a disciplined squad. I think the benefits of Kovac as BVB’s interim head coach are apparent. He’s a competent coach whose approach can be implemented relatively quickly, and he brings qualities much lacking at the club right now. However, it’s a different story if he is being considered for the permanent role. As good as Kovac is, he has already shown his ceiling is a solid, mid-tier manager. Dortmund should be aiming higher.
I’m in favor of Kovac being brought in to help Dortmund stop the bleeding and make the most of what is left of this season. I don’t think the club will be able to attract a better manager than Kovac for that role. But this cannot turn into more of the same short-term thinking and attempting to get the job done on the cheap that we’ve seen in recent years. Kovac isn’t good enough to turn Dortmund into a title challenger. If the club hires him, they must set clear boundaries to avoid kicking the can down the road for another couple of seasons.
Leave a Reply