Borussia Dortmund, the unexpected finalists last season, have experienced significant changes both on and off the pitch ahead of their Champions League opener against Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s surprising journey to last season’s final, where they dominated for much of the match but ultimately lost 2-0 to Real Madrid, masked a disappointing domestic campaign. Dortmund finished fifth in the Bundesliga, 27 points behind the unbeaten champions, Bayer Leverkusen. The fact that Leverkusen, local rivals with a smaller budget, ended Bayern Munich’s 11-year title streak was particularly frustrating for Dortmund’s management.
As a result, Dortmund has undergone a major summer overhaul. The club parted ways with Dortmund-born coach Edin Terzic, who had led them to within 90 minutes of a Bundesliga title in 2023 before their Champions League run. Stepping in is Nuri Sahin, the former Dortmund, Real Madrid, and Liverpool midfielder who came through the club’s youth system.
Several regular players have also departed, including striker Niclas Fuellkrug, loanees Jadon Sancho and Ian Maatsen, as well as veterans Marco Reus and Mats Hummels.
In a bid to rebuild, Dortmund has relied heavily on local knowledge. Former player Lars Ricken, who scored the winning goal in Dortmund’s 1997 Champions League final against Juventus, has been appointed head of the sporting department.
He leads a team that includes sporting director Sebastian Kehl, who made 362 appearances for Dortmund and won three Bundesliga titles, and long-time scout Sven Mislintat, who has returned after discovering some of the club’s biggest stars.
On the pitch, Dortmund have strengthened their squad with the addition of Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy and Germany centre-back Waldemar Anton from Stuttgart, as well as German internationals Maximilian Beier and Pascal Gross.
“We analyzed the situation well and acted accordingly. Sometimes you have to seize the moment,” Kehl told reporters last week.
“We reduced the squad size to give young players more space,” said sporting director Sebastian Kehl. The arrival of Serhou Guirassy, who scored 28 goals in 28 Bundesliga games for Stuttgart last season, resulted in the departure of fan favorite Niclas Fuellkrug, who moved to Premier League side West Ham.
Kehl noted, “Fuellkrug started thinking after the Guirassy transfer. A better opportunity came up in England. It was a win-win. In the end, there were no hard feelings.”
‘Alpha personalities’
Dortmund have long aimed to emulate the governance structure of German giants Bayern Munich, with a model that includes influential figures such as former Bayern boss Uli Hoeness. Kehl’s appointment under head of the sporting department Lars Ricken mirrors Bayern’s setup, where board member for sport Max Eberl oversees sporting director Christoph Freund.
“As a big club, Borussia Dortmund needs alpha personalities,” Kehl explained. “Over the years, there have always been strong figures in these roles. Big clubs need to be led that way. It’s a new setup, and there were some changes over the summer. Within this structure, we did very good work over the summer.”
Dortmund currently have seven points from their opening three Bundesliga games. While players were accustomed to a deep-lying counter-attacking style under Terzic, Friday’s 4-2 win over Heidenheim demonstrated that Nuri Sahin’s possession-based approach is already showing positive results.
Dortmund’s first European test will come against Belgian champions Club Brugge. Despite being primarily judged on their domestic performance, the club’s deep Champions League run last season contributed to their highest-ever annual revenue, which is crucial for a side that relies on European income to compete across all fronts.
