Ranking the best Borussia Dortmund signings under Sebastien Kehl as sporting director leaves | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund have split with their sporting director Sebastien Kehl after three-and-a-half years in the role.

Kehl, a former Dortmund captain, became the club’s sporting director in the summer of 2022, just when they were in the process of selling Erling Haaland to Manchester City.

Plenty of big names have been and gone at Dortmund. But what about the players they signed on Kehl’s watch?

Including one of 2026’s most coveted transfer targets, a Premier League striker flop and a Bellingham brother, here are the top 10.

10) Jobe Bellingham (€30.5m)

Some eyebrows were raised when Dortmund signed the brother of their former star Jude Bellingham, especially for the price they paid Sunderland for his signature.

It did take time for the younger Bellingham to establish himself in Germany, but he has started to find some more stable form recently.

9) Karim Adeyemi (€30m)

Dortmund won the race to sign Adeyemi in 2022 when he was a highly-rated prospect for Red Bull Salzburg. He has since scored 35 goals in 143 games, although in mitigation, he has played as a winger more than a striker.

8) Niclas Fullkrug (€17.25m)

Before he became a West Ham flop, Fullkrug scored 15 goals in 43 games for Dortmund, who were able to turn a profit of nearly €10m on the striker in the space of a year. That was enough to salvage some credit on their investment, even if his record on the pitch was mixed.

7) Waldemar Anton (€22.5m)

Anton is currently in his second season with Dortmund after joining from Stuttgart in 2024, the same year he made his international debut for Germany. Recently described as a ‘defensive rock’ on the Bundesliga’s website, the 29-year-old has been mentioned as a potential target for some Premier League clubs.

6) Ramy Bensebaini (Free)

With four seasons of Bundesliga experience behind him at the time of his release by Borussia Monchengladbach, Bensebaini was a smart pick-up on a free transfer and has been transformed from a left-back to a centre-back.

5) Daniel Svensson (€6.5m)

Svensson was signed in February 2025 from Nordsjaelland in a loan move that became permanent that summer.

The left-back became a regular starter within a couple of months and now has 60 appearances for the club to his name.

4) Felix Nmecha (€30m)

Dortmund picked up Nmecha in 2023 after two years with Wolfsburg, spending €30m to sign the midfielder.

He was recently rewarded with a contract extension after establishing himself as one of Dortmund’s most valuable players.

3) Julian Ryerson (€5m)

Ryerson was no stranger to the Bundesliga when Dortmund signed him for €5m in January 2023. By then, he’d been playing for Union Berlin for four-and-a-half years.

Since his arrival, Ryerson has made more than 100 appearances for Dortmund. Last month, the right-back even managed to log four assists in one game against Mainz.

2) Serhou Guirassy (€18m)

Dortmund signed Guirassy for €18m from fellow German side Stuttgart in 2024. In his debut season, he scored 21 goals from 30 Bundesliga appearances.

Having recently turned 30, Dortmund might not get huge resale value out of Guirassy, but his goal return has represented good value for money.

1) Nico Schlotterbeck (€20m)

Schlotterbeck looks likely to be one of the most in-demand defenders of the summer transfer window as he enters the final year of the contract he signed when joining Dortmund from Freiburg in 2022.

The German international has since collected more than 150 appearances in yellow and black, primarily at centre-back.

Dortmund only paid €20m to sign him, but now reportedly value him at €50m or more.