Last weekend was not the first time that summer signing Benjamin Goller has been in the spotlight. The former Schalke player had already shown some excellent form in pre-season, but picked up an injury. “Benni would have made an appearance earlier if he’d been fit. I trust him to play in the Bundesliga – he will be coming to Dortmund and is a candidate to make the starting line up,” says Kohfeldt, who saw some “refreshing dribbling and deep runs” from the 20-year-old against RB Leipzig. Nevertheless, the coach is concerned with Goller’s “long-term development,” which is why playing for the U23s would not mean a step back for him.
Simon Straudi and Ilia Gruev find themselves in a similar situation, having been in the Bundesliga squad several times without coming off the bench. “I think Ilia is already capable of playing in a Bundesliga match. He will have a bigger role in the team next year,” says the head coach, adding: “He provides a great mixture of passing and strategic thinking but needs to work on being more robust in defence and play with his back to goal less often. Straudi is more likely to be play in the U23s side, mainly because of his history with injuries.”