Borussia Dortmund's Perfect Start and Sancho Decision
BVB’s perfect start, a pointed glance towards Munich, a teenage comeback and a Sancho decision with consequences – Dortmund’s week has been anything but dull.
Ricken enjoys the view from the top – and nudges Bayern
Borussia Dortmund have opened the season flawlessly and, for once, Bayern Munich are the ones looking up the table. Lars Ricken is not shouting about it. He does not have to.
"There is a very respectful relationship between the two clubs. Nevertheless, in recent years we have not given Bayern the feeling that a declaration of intent had to go out to them either," the 50-year-old sporting managing director told Bild.
Respect on the surface, a little needle underneath. The two-point gap over the serial champions clearly pleases him.
"I do not want to conceal the fact that I hope they are a little annoyed," Ricken admitted. He knows exactly what the standings look like. "We know the table and they are currently not where they think they belong. If that feeling prevails, I would be pleased."
Dortmund are not proclaiming a power shift. But they are happy to let the numbers on the league table do the talking – and to let Bayern stew in the unfamiliar discomfort.
Elversberg’s Wagner: coaching in one dugout, dreaming in black and yellow
While BVB ride their wave, a coach at the other end of the Bundesliga is quietly living a Dortmund story of his own.
Vincent Wagner has made a name for himself with promoted SV Elversberg, yet his football heart beats in black and yellow. The head coach revealed to Bild that his bond with BVB goes back almost 30 years.
"Now I have to watch what I say. I have been a Borussia Dortmund fan since the 1995/1996 season," Wagner said. The idea of one day coaching on the touchline at the Westfalenstadion? Still distant for him. "At the moment I still lack the imagination to one day be standing there on the touchline. I am happy at SV Elversberg and glad that I am allowed to be a Bundesliga coach - because I love my job."
His footballing ideals are drawn from the elite. Wagner wants his teams to mirror the intensity and emotion of Jürgen Klopp and the precision of Pep Guardiola.
"I try to have my teams play football in a holistic way. The intensity and passion of Klopp paired with the tactical understanding and meticulousness of Pep Guardiola."
A Dortmund fan on the Bundesliga stage, shaping his own project, yet clearly influenced by the club and the coaches who defined its recent history.
Kaba back on the pitch: BVB’s long-term bet resumes
Away from the spotlight of the first team, an important step took place in Dortmund’s academy.
Seventeen-year-old midfield talent Mussa Kaba finally returned to competitive action after half a year out. He went straight into the starting XI for BVB’s reserves in a 3-2 win over Rödinghausen and played the first half.
The reason for the long break was not a classic injury but the side effects of rapid physical development. Growth spurts and the resulting muscle problems had sidelined him since March, prompting the club to adopt a cautious build-up plan.
Alongside Enzo Duarte, who had also recently been injured, Kaba has now collected valuable minutes with the U23s. Coach Daniel Rios underlined that this is only the beginning of the next phase.
"Now it is about Mussa and Enzo getting minutes and getting into rhythm. There is always coordination with the professional department."
Dortmund know what they have in Kaba. The priority is clear: get him fit, get him robust, and then see how far his talent can carry him.
Why Sancho stayed away: Ricken explains the no-go
The most delicate topic of the week circled back to a familiar name: Jadon Sancho. Speculation about a second comeback for the now unattached winger swirled around Dortmund for weeks. The club weighed it up – and turned it down.
Ricken laid out the reasoning in detail to Bild.
"To a certain extent it was important to me to bring in new faces, new stories, new figures for identification," he said. Dortmund wanted a fresh narrative, not a return to an old one.
The problem with Sancho was not his quality. It was his gravity.
"Jadon has that kind of force," Ricken admitted. Even as a rotation player, the Englishman would have dominated the debate around the club.
Ricken feared exactly that scenario:
"Jadon would be our only topic."
A Sancho signing would have triggered a domino effect in the squad.
"As a consequence, you would then have to look: do you sell a Fabio Silva?" Ricken asked. Planned transfers might have stalled as well: "Can you then only bring in Karetsas and not Konstantelias?"
The ripples would have reached the academy too. Dortmund have invested heavily in their next generation and do not want to block their path.
"We have young players like Inacio or Mathis Albert. Do you then have to sell or loan them out?" Ricken pointed out.
In the end, the answer in the corridors of power at BVB was clear: no second Sancho chapter, at least not now.
"These are decisions we make," Ricken concluded. Dortmund have chosen new faces, new stories, and a table that – for the moment – forces Bayern Munich to chase. How long they can keep it that way will define the season.
