Coach question at Borussia Dortmund: extension for Niko Kovac only on one condition? | Goal.com

Published on 19 Aug 2026 | Reading time: 2 minutes

As Sport Bild writes in its latest edition, the Dortmund coach and his superior, sporting managing director Lars Ricken, have agreed that contract talks between the club and Kovac should only take place once Ricken himself has extended his deal with the Black and Yellows.

For now, both contracts still run until the end of the imminently upcoming season. In Ricken's case, a continuation of the collaboration beyond that is considered a mere formality in view of BVB's recent successes in the transfer market.

Behind the agreement is said to be the exceedingly friendly relationship between Kovac and Ricken. Both are therefore said to have expressed the wish to continue working together in Dortmund. An extension for Ricken would therefore be a kind of condition for Kovac putting pen to paper.

BVB have long been willing in principle to continue with the German-Croat on the touchline. Last season, Kovac led Borussia to a fairly comfortable runners-up finish, even if they were never able to seriously challenge Bayern Munich at any point.

The 54-year-old took over Dortmund in February 2025 after the then coach Nuri Sahin had been sacked due to a sustained lack of success.

Thanks in part to Kovac and a strong late surge in the league, BVB still managed to climb to fourth place on the final matchday and secure the associated qualification for the Champions League.

Across all competitions, Kovac took charge of the Black and Yellows 72 times from the touchline. He recorded 43 wins, 12 draws and 16 defeats, averaging 1.97 points per game. The last BVB coach to post such a strong return with at least 50 matches was Lucien Favre, who held the role from July 2018 to December 2020.

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