Karetsas excites BVB: „I almost liked that more than the goal“ | OneFootball

After his strong BVB debut against Arsenal, Konstantinos Karetsas is generating excitement. Niko Kovac and Lars Ricken are full of praise for the 18-year-old new signing.

Konstantinos Karetsas has enjoyed a dream start at Borussia Dortmund. In the 3-2 win in the friendly against Arsenal, the 18-year-old immediately showed why BVB have such high hopes for him. His impressive goal to make it 2-0 in the meantime, in particular, delighted those in charge.

In the 29th minute, Karetsas curled the ball into the far corner with his left foot. But it was not only the Greek international’s attacking qualities that impressed. After just five days of training, he looked secure on the ball, alert, and well integrated into Dortmund’s play.

Managing director Lars Ricken was especially pleased with the youngster’s overall performance. “What impressed me after five days in training was how alert he was, how involved he was in the game, how secure he was on the ball, and how selflessly he played for the team. I almost liked that even more than the goal,” Ricken said enthusiastically. However, Karetsas’ debut was already over after 45 minutes. Coach Niko Kovac then made it clear that the early substitution had nothing to do with his performance.

BVB coach Kovac explains the plan for Karetsas

Instead, the new signing is to be developed carefully. “Of course, he still needs time. Physically, he’s not yet at the level we would like him to be,” Kovac explained. Karetsas had been carrying a knock at times during pre-season with his former club, KRC Genk.

Photo: IMAGO

From a footballing point of view, however, the attacking player has already won over his new coach. “We can see that he is really good football-wise. That’s what we need, and what we’re very happy with at the moment,” said Kovac. Goals will also be among the expectations placed on Karetsas in the future. After all, Dortmund need to replace the goal contributions lost with the departures of Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi.

Ricken believes the youngster is capable of making up for part of that. “Kos is one of those who can do that with his qualities,” the BVB boss explained. In any case, his first appearance against Arsenal provided a glimpse of the new signing’s potential. Before things get serious, Dortmund still have their final dress rehearsal against Roma (15 August) to come. After that, Bayern await in the Super Cup (22 August).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.