Borussia Dortmund set to reward head coach Niko Kovac with contract extension
Kovac signed a short-term deal which runs until the end of next season when he succeeded Nuri Sahin in February, but the 53-year-old is set to be rewarded with an extension following a strong finish to the campaign.
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Formal negotiations over the Croatian's new deal are set to begin after Dortmund's Club World Cup campaign. They will face Mexican side Monterrey in the round of 16 on Tuesday after topping Group F with wins over South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and South Korean club Ulsan HD and a goalless draw with Brazilian side Fluminense.
Kovac led Dortmund from mid-table to a fourth-placed league finish and a return to the Champions League for the coming season after winning seven of their final eight matches of the campaign.
He previously coached fellow Bundesliga clubs Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as Monaco in Ligue 1 and the Croatia national team.
Well deserved.
When Kovac arrived in February, Borussia Dortmund were in 11th place in the Bundesliga and drifting towards a dismal season.
Four months later, having inspired a run of form that saw Dortmund win seven of their last 8 games and remain undefeated from the middle of March, Kovac has the club back in the Champions League and heading in the right direction.
Stylistically, Dortmund are a simpler, but tougher side than they were under Nuri Sahin. Kovac has implemented a 3-4-2-1 that seems to offer more stability and suit the players at his disposal, but the performance indicators — most noticeably the team's running and sprinting data — have also greatly improved, seemingly in response to a tougher form of coaching and more uncompromising type of man management.
This is an important step. Kovac's original contract ran until 2026, meaning that his position would have been subject to speculation had he entered next season without an extension. With it, however, comes a proper endorsement and a sense of permanence that he and they will benefit from.
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