Dortmund extend Kovac’s contract, sign Chukwuemeka

BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund have extended  coach Niko Kovac’s contract by one season until 2027, the club announced on Tuesday.

Kovac, a former boss of Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and Monaco, joined Dortmund on an 18-month deal with the club in 11th spot in January 2025.

At the same time, Dortmund’s summer Premier League recruitment drive continued on Tuesday with the signing of midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka from Chelsea until 2030.

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WHY KOVAC

Despite falling as low as 13th, Kovac helped right the ship, with Dortmund winning 22 of a possible 24 points to close the season and finish in fourth, the final Champions League spot.

“With honest work, clear decisions, and great enthusiasm, we want to help Borussia Dortmund return to our former strength,” Kovac said in a statement.

“We still have a lot to do together.”

Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said Kovac “approaches every game with conviction, intensity and passion,” adding “we believe together we can continue the successful path of last season’s final spurt.”

Considered a disciplinarian with a focus on fitness and work-rate, Kovac made his initial mark as a coach by winning the German Cup as Frankfurt manager in 2018.

Moving to Bayern, Kovac won the double in 2018-19 before he was shown his marching orders the following season.

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As a player, the Berlin-born Kovac represented Croatia 83 times, scoring 14 goals, while playing for Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg.

Dortmund began the season with a disappointing 3-3 draw at St Pauli, conceding two goals and being reduced to 10 men in the final five minutes.

A 25 MILLION FEE

England under-21 representative Chukwuemeka, 21, joins for a reported fee of 25 million euros ($29 million).

He spent the second half of last season at Dortmund on loan, staying on as the club made the quarter-finals at the Club World Cup.

Chukwuemeka played 17 times for Dortmund in all competitions, scoring once and impressed despite struggling with injury.

In a statement, Chukwuemeka said he was “happy Borussia Dortmund is now my footballing home. I will give everything to make sure we achieve our goals as a team”.

Born in Austria, Chukwuemeka moved to England at a young age and came through Aston Villa’s youth academy before signing with Chelsea in 2022.

Dortmund sporting director Lars Ricken said the club was “delighted” to sign Chukwuemeka, who “further increases the quality and creativity of our attacking midfield”.

Dortmund also signed Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland and Yan Couto from Manchester City this summer.

Jobe’s brother Jude joined Dortmund from boyhood club Birmingham City in 2020 aged 17, moving to Real Madrid three years later for a fee estimated at 100 million euros ($117 million).

German tabloid Bild reported on Tuesday that two further Premier League signings could arrive before deadline day on Monday — Chelsea defender Aaron Anselmino and Wolves striker Fabio Silva.

Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho, who has had two previous stints at Dortmund and just ended a loan spell at Chelsea, has also been linked with a return to the Westfalenstadion.