Kovac to take over as Dortmund coach after Champions League progression
DORTMUND, Germany, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Croatian coach Niko Kovac is set to take over Borussia Dortmund following a 3-1 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday saw them advance to the Champions League playoffs.
The Ruhr valley side fired coach Nuri Sahin a week ago after a run of poor results and shortly after kick-off German media reported that Kovac, who has played and managed in the Bundesliga, is waiting in the wings to take over.
"We have reached an agreement in principle with Nico Kovac, he will take over the team on Sunday," managing director Lars Ricken told broadcaster DAZN.
Interim coach Mike Tullberg, who stepped up from the club's Under-19 side after the sacking of Sahin, will be at the helm when Dortmund visit Heidenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Dortmund had not won a game this year but two first-half goals from Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy and a late Ramy Bensebaini effort wrapped up the victory against Shakhtar and 10th spot in the Champions League table on 15 points.
The German side finished among the seeded teams and will now face either Belgium's Club Brugge or Sporting of Portugal in a two-legged playoff with a place in the last 16 at stake.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
19 minutes ago
- Metro
Liverpool and Chelsea sent clear message over Hugo Ekitike transfer
Eintracht Frankfurt have told Liverpool and Chelsea they will not lower their asking price for striker Hugo Ekitike. The highly-rated 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League following a breakout season at Frankfurt. Ekitike had never hit double digits before the 2024-25 campaign but netted 22 goals in his first full season with Eintracht Frankfurt. The Frenchman's form helped Frankfurt finish third in the Bundesliga behind Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen and go deep in the Europa League before they were knocked out by eventual winners Tottenham. Both Liverpool and Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Ekitike this summer as Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca look to bring some firepower to Anfield and Stamford Bridge. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. Liverpool of course won the Premier League last season but did so playing without a recognised striker for most of the campaign. One of the forwards already at Anfield, Darwin Nunez, is expected to move on amid interest from clubs in Italy, Germany and Saudi Arabia. Chelsea are also interested in a deal for Ekitike despite welcoming England U21 striker Liam Delap to the club last week in a £30m deal from Ipswich Town. The Premier League clubs are hoping Frankfurt will lower their asking price for Ekitike, who they value at €100m (£84m). However, the German club appear ready to stand firm on that valuation, with sporting director Markus Krosche insisting they do not have to sell Ekitike this summer. 'If the price isn't right, then he'll just stay with us,' he told Wiesbadener Kurier. 'We don't have to sell Hugo.' Ex-England defender Micah Richards recently revealed Arsenal legend Thierry Henry's verdict on Ekitike. 'In terms of Ekitike, I've spoken to Thierry Henry about him a lot,' Manchester City hero Richards told The Rest is Football podcast. 'He says he's not [necessarily] a frustrating player, but one minute he looks amazing and the next minute he doesn't really do the basics very well. 'But he said if he gets it right and improves then his ceiling could be very, very high.' Richards, meanwhile, is unsure whether Ekitike is an ideal fit for Slot's Liverpool ahead of their Premier League title defence. He added: 'It depends on how they want to play. Do they want a striker who can stretch or they do they want a striker who is going to come to feet and interlink play? More Trending 'Ekitike is not bad on the ball but he's more of a stretch striker than a [Roberto] Firmino coming in deep and linking play. 'Where does Florian Wirtz fit into that? Where does Dominik Szoboszlai fit into that? Where does Luis Diaz potentially fit into that. 'If they get Wirtz I think they may be looking for more a player who can drop and Diaz can play a little bit deeper. He played a lot as a No.9 this season. 'But talent wise he's definitely got enough to add to this Liverpool side.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: 'He'll probably go there' – Premier League star expects team-mate to join Liverpool MORE: AC Milan in talks to sign second Arsenal star along with Oleksandr Zinchenko MORE: Enzo Maresca told Chelsea fans would have preferred £64m striker to Liam Delap
Daily Mirror
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Mason Greenwood set for Man Utd reunion with star Old Trafford boss 'humiliated'
Mason Greenwood will be reunited with his fellow former Manchester United academy graduate team-mate Angel Gomes, who has secured a move to Ligue 1 giants Marseille Mason Greenwood will play alongside former Manchester United team-mate Angel Gomes next season at Marseille. They will reunite in France five years after Gomes left the Red Devils, having once been left humiliated by former United manager Jose Mourinho. Marseille confirmed this week that they have reached an agreement in principle to sign England international Gomes. The Ligue 1 runners-up, managed by Roberto De Zerbi, beat a host of clubs to his signature, with the 24-year-old reportedly signing a three-year deal at the Orange Velodrome. RMC Sport previously reported that the United academy graduate was convinced by De Zerbi's style of play and the opportunity to compete in the Champions League. Gomes had announced he would be leaving Lille once his contract expired this summer. The midfielder made the move to Lille at the end of his United contract in the summer of 2020, having been tipped for great things at Old Trafford after signing for the club back in 2006. The England U21s European Championship winner was handed his debut aged just 16 by Mourinho on the final day of the 2016/17 season, making him United's youngest ever Premier League player. But despite the trust placed in him by the current Fenerbahce boss, a 17-year-old Gomes was once brought to the brink of tears as a result of Mourinho criticising his performance in a reserve team match in front of the first team. He told the Athletic:"I played a game for the reserves and he watched — he didn't think I played good enough. Two days later, the first team had a game, and he took me with the team. At the pre-match, in front of everybody, he let me know about it." Expanding on the story in an interview with The Times, Gomes explained: "At the time I was thinking, 'Why has he done that in front of everyone? Could he not have pulled me to the side?' "A few of the players came up to me and said, 'He just wants a reaction from you, don't let it faze you', but in that moment, I didn't want to hear anything. 'I rushed to my room and rang my dad and my brother. There's not much they could say to me really. I was almost crying. I was really young. "It wasn't until I was older that I realised, with Mourinho, he's always looking at ways to get more out of you. I think him doing that in front of everyone showed he valued me as a player. I probably needed it." He added: "It's all mental toughness. What I came to learn about Jose is he always wants you to do better. He is almost like prodding you, 'Come on, show me a bit more. Everyone's told me how good you are, but I want to see it.'" Despite the psychological blow at the time, Gomes wishes he had been mature enough to embrace Mourinho's management style, saying: "It wasn't until I left and I see Jose winning trophies that I think, 'Ah, I understand you. And if only I had understood you more, I would have been able to appreciate my time more with you'. But no, in the midst of little b*********s, [he was] an amazing guy." Gomes' departure came during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure, following Mourinho's sacking two years prior in 2018. His game time was extremely limited under Solskjaer while the then-promising Greenwood was enjoying his first-team breakthrough in the 2019/20 season. After playing a total of 320 minutes for United, Gomes left as a free agent, capping off the "most difficult period" of his career. Despite spending the first year of his five-year Lille stint at Portuguese club Boavista, the move to Ligue 1 served to kickstart his career. He made 134 appearances in all competitions for Lille, including 20 this season as they finished fifth in the league. He also impressed in a Three Lions shirt last year after receiving his first four caps under interim boss Lee Carsley. However, Gomes has not yet featured under new manager Thomas Tuchel.
The National
25 minutes ago
- The National
Kevin De Bruyne set to form dream midfield at Napoli
As widely reported by Fabrizio Romano, the former Manchester City stalwart is in Italy to complete his medical ahead of the move to the Serie A champions. The 33-year-old will sign a two-year deal with the Italian side. Romano wrote on X: "Kevin De Bruyne to Napoli, here we go! "Final green light arrives from Belgian star to join Italian champions. Two year deal + option agreed, medical and formal steps to follow for KDB to become Napoli player. "Massive signing for Napoli, planning for more to come." Scotland pair McTominay and Gilmour became Scudetto winners in their debut seasons in Italy. The former moved from Manchester United for around £30m last summer, while Gilmour also made the switch on deadline day from Brighton for roughly just £9m. Napoli will play Champions League football next season following their title win, pipping Inter Milan to the crown.
