Borussia Dortmund’s CEO on Niko Kovač's future and a possible return for Mats Hummels
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke appeared as a guest on Germany’s 'Sportstudio' on Saturday and took the opportunity to talk about the club’s future. He spoke about Niko Kovač's future as coach and the rumours surrounding a short-term comeback for Mats Hummels.
Since Kovač took over at the end of January on an initial 18-month deal, Dortmund have been getting back to their best. Especially in their last five games, where they have taken 13 points from a possible 15, with their only blemish in that time being a spectacular away draw in Der Klassiker.
This late surge has put Die Schwarzgelben right back into contention for the UEFA Champions League places with three games to go, so it is of little surprise that Watzke took the opportunity on Saturday to back the coach.
"I would be very surprised if we didn't go into the new season with Niko Kovač," said Watzke of the former Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg, whose efforts with BVB have reportedly attracted attention further afield. "What he has achieved with us over the last few months is extraordinary, and we would have to be completely crazy to think about anything else. We'll continue with him, of course."
Although the final decision is not up to Watzke, as he has recently taken a step away from the operational side of things, his words will still carry weight and it would be a huge surprise if Dortmund were to look for a new coach for next season.
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During his television appearance, Watzke was also pressed on another topic, namely the potential return of Hummels. With Dortmund taking part in the Club World Cup this summer, the long-term injury to Nico Schlotterbeck and the switch to a back three, the five-time Bundesliga champions could potentially find themselves a little light on the ground for the competition.
Currently, their options at centre-back are Ramy Bensebaini, Emre Can, Waldemar Anton and Niklas Süle, and for the moment, it sounds like Watzke is happy with that.
"We're okay like this. If one of our defenders gets injured and can't take part in the Club World Cup, then Mats is our first alternative."
Although Watzke didn’t completely rule out a return for Hummels, a Dortmund swansong for the club legend is made all the more unlikely by the German’s plan to retire at the end of Roma’s current season. That being said, stranger things have happened, and one last dance at Dortmund could be the perfect twilight to Hummels’ stellar career.
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