Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck firmly believe Borussia Dortmund can become German Champions

Borussia Dortmund and Germany defenders Niklas Süle and Nico Schlotterbeck have confidence in their new team’s title credentials for the coming season.

In a media round during the club’s training camp in Bad Ragaz, new signing Niklas Süle has made it very clear that he believes Borussia Dortmund can be German Champions. The former Bayern Munich defender has grand aspirations for the coming season, stating that:

"“I think we have big plans for this year. We’re in three competitions where we obviously want to play at the front and achieve the best we can. We will give our best for it – but you cannot be successful just by talking.”"

Süle’s fellow new signing and likely partner in the heart of the BVB defence, Nico Schlotterbeck, shares the same hunger and desire to bring the Bundesliga title back to Dortmund.

In his statements, Schlotterbeck has underscored his ambitions to play as well as possible and to learn from the players he will be competing against for minutes this coming season, namely Süle, Hummels, and perhaps Akanji if he stays:

"“I can learn a lot from both of them, how they go into the game, how they prepare, what they do in training. But I think they can also learn a little something from me.”"

Both of Borussia Dortmund’s new defenders are set to form a partnership in central defence that should be the platform from which Edin Terzic can begin to solve their defensive woes.

Both players have something to prove, with Süle in particular revealing in a previous interview with the club that he is very much aware of the fact that he is a player coming into his prime, and that he needs to play a leading role for his new side.

Schlotterbeck, on the other hand, was very close to tasting victory with former club SC Freiburg in the DFB Pokal last season, only to fall short to RB Leipzig in the final. He states that it took him “two or three weeks” to process the defeat. Schlotterbeck himself put on an exquisite display but his performance alone was not enough to see Freiburg across the line.

The Germany international is seemingly fired up and ready to ensure that he doesn’t have to find himself in the same situation again, should the opportunity arise.

All in all, while we haven’t yet seen the two of these players ply their trade together in a back line for Dortmund just yet, their attitude and mindsets are in the right place. Their disposition towards the prospect of winning a title with BVB aligns well with the other signings. Gregor Kobel in particular will likely benefit from having Schlotterbeck’s dynamism and Süle’s overall experience in front of him as he looks to organize the back line. New signing Salih Özcan will also likely be a helpful cog in the grand scheme of things when he is fit. The Turkish international will be pivotal in making sure that he screens any attack that may come Dortmund’s way, supporting the back line in their effort to stifle the opposition.

What all these players have in common is that they have a level of physicality, desire, and overall aggression that could help propel Borussia Dortmund in the right direction in terms of stability once all the pieces are in place. The BVB bosses have certainly incorporated players with the right attitude and skillsets that will hopefully, in time, gel into a well oiled defensive machine which will make last season’s defensive woes a fleeting memory, and bring the team one step closer to being perennial challengers to Bayern Munich.