Dortmund rewards coach Niko Kovač with contract extension

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač has extended his contract by a year through June 2027.

“Niko has thrown himself wholeheartedly into his role at BVB,” Lars Ricken, the club’s managing director for sport, said in a statement on Tuesday. “He knows football inside out, he has clear principles, he’s thoroughly honest, he’s direct in his communication and he rewards good performance.”

Kovač, who previously won trophies with Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt, took over in February when the team was 11th in the Bundesliga after a difficult start to the season under Nuri Sahin. He made the team more resilient and oversaw a marked improvement to finish fourth for Champions League qualification on the final day.

“Under him, our club is on the up again,” Ricken said.

Dortmund’s start this season has been complicated by a spate of injuries in defense with Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Süle and Emre Can all injured. Stand-in defender Filippo Mané was sent off on his Bundesliga debut against St. Pauli last weekend and won’t be available for the next match against visiting Union Berlin on Sunday because of the automatic suspension.

Dortmund held on to draw 3-3 with St. Pauli after the 20-year-old Mané was sent off.

After the game, Jobe Bellingham’s father engaged in a heated discussion with Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl when he reportedly wanted to know why his son was taken off at halftime. Ricken said the matter has since been cleared up.

The club is also reportedly in talks with Chelsea about signing Argentine central defender Aaron Anselmino to alleviate its shortages at the back.

Kovač is looking further ahead.

“We feel that we can achieve something special here together with the club and the fans,” the 53-year-old coach said. “The conversations we have had over the last few weeks have reinforced my conviction that, building on our achievements so far, we can deliver long-term success at this club. Our aim is to play our part in getting Borussia back to where it used to be.”

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