Not enough youth development? BVB boss Kovac hits back at claims | OneFootball

After persistent criticism of his work, Niko Kovac has firmly rejected the accusation that he does not do enough to promote young talent. The BVB coach points to numerous young players who made their breakthrough under him.

The criticism that he relies too rarely on young players has stubbornly followed Niko Kovac. However, the Borussia Dortmund coach strongly rejects this accusation — and backs up his argument with concrete examples from his career so far.

“I have also heard that I supposedly rely more on experience than most other coaches. But there is actually quite a long list of young players who have developed very well under my coaching staff and me in recent years, and also currently, before their respective clubs sold them for a lot of money,” Kovac explained in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

On that list, he includes Luka Jović, who was already playing for Eintracht Frankfurt at the age of 20. Aurélien Tchouaméni also gained match experience under Kovac at AS Monaco when he was just 18. At VfL Wolfsburg, he also gave Felix Nmecha and Micky van de Ven opportunities early on. Other examples include Jesús Vallejo, who also became a regular at a young age, as well as Aarón Anselmino, who played regularly in Dortmund whenever he was fit.

After a difficult start at BVB: Bellingham establishes himself under Kovac

Kovac also sees his philosophy being confirmed at BVB right now: “And at the moment, Jobe Bellingham is in the starting lineup here almost every week, and he is 20.” The Englishman was signed from AFC Sunderland in the summer for around €30 million. After a difficult start, he developed into a regular starter in the second half of the season and has already made 42 appearances in his first season under Kovac.

Photo: IMAGO

In principle, the coach also supports Dortmund’s strategic shift toward placing greater emphasis on young talents. “Of course I am involved in the club’s thought processes and also give my assessments. If I can help in certain areas with information or contacts, I do so,” said Kovac, emphasizing: “I can see that everyone here is pulling in the same direction and wants to be successful with this great club.”

BVB are also in a strong position on the pitch: with a win against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Sunday (5:30 p.m.), Dortmund could consolidate second place in the Bundesliga. The lead over RB Leipzig remains five points after Leipzig were recently well beaten 4-1 by Bayer Leverkusen.

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