Five wins in a row, including the 2:0 victory over FC Bayern on Saturday: Borussia Dortmund is on the way to calmer waters in sporting terms. Off the pitch, personnel planning for the future is picking up speed
Mats Hummels has already collected a number of successes and records during his time at Borussia Dortmund, and on Saturday he added another one: with his 29th appearance in the German classic between BVB and FC Bayern, he now holds the sole record. He played 23 of the games for Dortmund and six for Munich. And it remains to be seen whether the veteran will extend his record in the future. The 35-year-old’s contract ends in the summer.
It remains to be seen whether he will extend it again at BVB, end his glorious career or spend another year elsewhere. Hummels announced after BVB’s 2:0 win in Munich that he may not decide what to do next until after the end of the season. The desire to kick is still there, but his body is hurting more and more
Board member for sport: Kehl – or an external solution?
If Hummels decides to sit down with Borussia’s management in the coming weeks to discuss a possible further collaboration, he is likely to meet an old acquaintance: Sven Mislintat is about to return to BVB and is expected to plan Borussia’s squad in the future. This is independent of the appointment to the position of sporting director, which is to be created following the announced retirement of club boss Hans-Joachim Watzke – initially from sporting responsibility in the summer, then completely in the fall of 2025.
Sebastian Kehl, currently BVB’s sporting director, is the logical candidate due to his long history at the club – but his promotion is currently anything but certain, as there are also internal criticisms of the former BVB captain’s work
The club is therefore also discussing external solutions. The name Matthias Sammer, previously an advisor to Watzke, has also been mentioned as a possible part of a larger overall solution, although he would not be considered as managing director.
Watzke wants to present a proposal to the committees
Watzke wants to submit a proposal to the committees in April as to what the organizational chart could look like after his departure. It can be assumed that the soon-to-be outgoing club boss will not present any options that he has not previously examined for possible implementation.
The coming weeks will therefore not be boring at BVB, who are still fighting to qualify for the Champions League again and reach the semi-finals of the top flight. There are still too many unanswered questions at the beginning of April. The future of Hummels is just one of them
