Borussia Dortmund's sporting director Nils-Ole Book has urged fans to show patience as they look to integrate new signing Konstatinos Karetsas into the squad.
The Greek midfielder completed a €30 million transfer from Belgian Pro League side Genk on Monday and signed a five-year contract with the Black and Yellow until June 2031.
Fans got a first glimpse of him in training on Wednesday as they received their new acquisition with a warm reception at their training facility in Brackel.
Book later revealed that Dortmund's squad also made Karetsas feel at home, with the Greek international also sharing a few laughs with them during his first team training.
"“He’s been well received by the team. He cracked a few jokes, showed off some skills, and moved around a bit. I don’t think we can draw any further conclusions from that just yet.”"
At 30 million euros, the 18-year-old is Dortmund's second most expensive signing in history and hence comes with a lot of expectations from the fans.
Head coach Niko Kovac is likely to field him in Julian Brandt's position given Karetsas' similar attributes and playing style with Dortmund's former creative talisman.
Book further added that the club splashed such a big sum on him for a reason but urged everyone at the club to be patient as Karetsas is still acclimatizing to new surroundings.
"“Above all, we all know that we need to give him a little time and patience. He has great potential; we didn’t invest in him for nothing, and we’ve gone to great lengths to bring him here. We’re looking forward to everything with him, but we’re also aware of the responsibility that comes with signing a good, talented player.""
Karetsas burst to light with his eye-catching displays for Genk last season, making 11 assists from 28 games in the Belgian Pro League while also netting twice and bagging five more assists in the Europa League.
Many Premier League clubs were vying for his signatures too but Die Schwarzgelben beat everyone in the race and priced hima way to Westfalonstadion in one of their biggest transfer coups in recent history.
Book further highlighted the skills Karetsas brings to Dortmund.
""He’s pure creativity—a technically very skilled player. He’s very active, energetic, with good acceleration and excellent technique. But above all, we also know that he still has a bit of a way to go.”"
Karetsas could make his club debut in the preseason against Arsenal on Sunday, 9 August.
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