Borussia Dortmund shift focus back to youth development with Cole Campbell's long term contract

Throughout the last few years, Borussia Dortmund has had several youngsters come through the youth ranks to make an impact on the first team. Youssoufa Moukoko, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Kjell Wätjen and Tom Rothe are just a handful of names that those who follow the club have looked forward to seeing develop in black and yellow.

Of course, this has not always meant that youth has been the focus of the club’s own first-team development plans. Youssoufa Moukoko in particular has been a victim of this, once viewed as the club’s next golden boy, but has been relegated to sporadic minutes under Edin Terzic last season. Tom Rothe on the other hand was loaned out to Holstein Kiel for the season just past, where he excelled.

The focus on youth that the club often prided itself on was not fully on display in recent seasons, but under new head coach Nuri Şahin, this is beginning to shift again. Both Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Julien Duranville are expected to have more minutes in the coming season and push the likes of Karim Adeyemi and Donyell Malen for their place in the starting 11.

This has now been coupled with professional contracts for top prospects like Cole Campbell, who just signed a long-term deal until 2028. The American youth international has been exemplary for Dortmund in the youth teams, which has led to this deal being finalized. Director of Sport Lars Ricken spoke in glowing terms of Campbell, expressing that the club has a lot of hope for his potential moving forward:

"Cole is a difference maker in our U19. His pace, his dribbling, his end product and his mentality are qualities that make him special. We want to further promote his development, introduce him to the professional team and have him started in preparation with the professionals."

- Lars Ricken

Campbell himself is excited about this new chapter, stating that he is looking forward to a successful spell with the club:

"For me, a dream came true when I switched to BVB. Now I am living this dream and have been working since day one to keep improving. I am very happy and will continue to work hard to be successful at Borussia Dortmund."

- Cole Campbell

Campbell’s performances in the youth teams (18 goals, 19 assists in 52 games) have elevated him to be seen as an option for the first team in the coming season, which should of course be one of the main priorities of the club; to help cultivate academy talent and make sure they find their way to the top tier of German football when and where possible. It is likely that both Rothe and Wätjen will join Campbell in competing for time on the pitch with the senior squad, which is the healthiest boom of academy talent to have such an opportunity in some time. It is the hope that Campbell, Wätjen and co. all are able to make their mark and have successful careers with the club.