Issues arise behind the scenes at Borussia Dortmund

So far this season, Borussia Dortmund have been far from convincing on the pitch, with issues arising on a consistent basis.

However, behind the scenes, life at the Westfalenstadion does not appear to be any more straightforward, with the future of the club’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl uncertain.

Kehl’s deal is set to expire at the end of the campaign, and despite his longstanding connection with the club, Sky Germany are reporting that there is no guarantee he will sign a new deal with Die Schwarzgeleben—but why is this the case?

Kehl lacks assertiveness

As stated within the report, those in charge at Dortmund believe that the sporting director lacks assertiveness due to how he handled the signing of Anthony Modeste as well as the decision to keep Emre Can.

While Edin Terzić expressed his desire to sign Modeste and make Can captain, Kehl wanted to sign Edinson Cavani and let Can depart in favour of luring current West Ham United midfielder Edson Álvarez to the Westfalenstadion.

Rather than stand up for his beliefs, it is viewed that Kehl allowed Terzić to do what he wanted, and this is playing on the minds of those at BvB.

Lars Ricken’s promotion

On top of this, the decision made by Hans-Joachim Watzke to offer Lars Ricken the chance to succeed him over Kehl is understood to be considered a significant internal loss for Kehl.

Previous disputes behind the scenes with former squad planner Sven Mislintat has also not helped the former midfielder, while losing two close confidants in Slaven Stanic and chief scout Ede Graf has also seen Kehl’s popularity plummet.

Kehl’s positive work

Nevertheless, Kehl has offered BvB a lot during his time at the club, but no more so than in the transfer market.

Signings such as Jude Bellingham and Niclas Füllkrug have seen Dortmund turnover a significant profit, while shrewd incomings like Julian Ryerson, Pascal Groß, and Maximilian Beier reflect positively on the sporting director.

The 44-year-old has also been able to present the club in an eye-catching manner, ensuring he has been able to tie players such as Gregor Kobel and Jamie Gittens down to new long-term deals.

Therefore, whether Kehl remains at BvB is certainly unknown, but having played a key role in overseeing the club’s journey to the Champions League, it would be harsh for the club to let him depart.

However, it could be suggested that rather than allowing Kehl to depart, Dortmund have slowly been pushing the 44-year-old out of the club.

GGFN | Will Shopland