Does Borussia Dortmund still need a real centre forward? Managing Director Hans-Joachim Watzke sees no urgent need, as hopes are pinned on Paco Alcacer. In the survey of Bundesliga coaches, a trainer sees the BVB at the top. Here you can find all news and rumours about the BVB.
A major topic at BVB last season was the fitness of Paco Alcacer. The Spaniard played 26 games for Dortmund, but only four over the full season. This season it’s supposed to get better. “He used the summer to work on his deficits, which were largely due to his short playing time in Barcelona,” said licensed player boss Sebastian Kehl to the Ruhr Nachrichten.
“The goal this year is to get him physically stable, get him used to the rhythm, and help him stay injury-free.” Alcacer suffered a total of seven injuries in the past season, most of them minor muscle injuries, which should pass this season.
The Spaniard himself, who scored 18 goals in spite of the aches and pains, also wants to play a successful campaign, as Kehl assures us. “Paco is highly motivated and willing, shows this also in training and he wants to put a scoop on it in his second season.
So with Paco, the Borussians have a real niner, yet it has been said time and again that the BVB still has to top up in the front line. For BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke this is not comprehensible. “Paco always scored in the test games,” Watzke summed up. “That’s why nobody has to pretend we don’t have strikers.”
Besides Alcacer the Borussians also have other weapons like Mario Götze, Thorgan Hazard or Jacob Bruun Larsen for the offensive. But hopes rest on Alcacer and Watzke was also optimistic about the Spaniard: “Paco Alcacer is much tighter this year because he can take part in the entire preparation,” Watzke revealed.
Despite Watzke’s statements, there are still a lot of rumours about possible BVB reinforcements for the wing. According to Goal Brazil, a hot lead leads to Barcelona. Allegedly, the Schwarz-Gelbe are to negotiate a possible transfer of Malcolm with the Catalans, with a transfer fee of 42 million euros in the offing.
The wingman came from Girondins Bordeaux last summer for an amount of this magnitude, but was not able to assert himself properly in the star ensemble. The Brazilian was only used in 15 games in the league, and Antoine Griezmann’s commitment has increased Malcolm’s competition even further.
Every year, the kicker conducts a survey among the 18 Bundesliga coaches for its special Bundesliga issue to find out who they see as the champions for the upcoming season. 17 trainers did not bet surprisingly on FC Bayern, but one also sees Dortmund in front.
This is Florian Kohfeldt, the coach of SV Werder Bremen. “Borussia Dortmund becomes champion”, Kohfeldt is quoted in the kicker, but without giving a reason.
A total of five coaches see good chances for the runner-up. But even BVB coach Lucien Favre sees the “best conditions” for the Bavarians. “We want to be a strong challenger,” said Favre.
