Borussia Dortmund appoint Peter Bosz as new head coach
Borussia Dortmund have appointed Peter Bosz as their new head coach.
The 53-year-old, who led Ajax to the Europa League final in his sole season in charge of the Amsterdam club, has signed a two-year deal to succeed Thomas Tuchel, who left the Bundesliga club last week.
Bosz was under contract at the Amsterdam Arena until 2019, so Dortmund have had to agree a compensation package to secure his services.
“These talks convinced me that this ought to be the next step for me,” Bosz said at a press conference on Tuesday, revealing he had spoken with Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke and the club’s sporting director Michael Zorc for around three hours. “I got a good feeling. It was a respectful discussion. I am convinced that we can work very well together.”
Watzke added: “We had a very, very good feeling about Bosz from the outset, the feeling that something can really grow together here.”
Reports in Holland claimed Bosz fell out with officials at Ajax in much the same way Tuchel supposedly did at Dortmund. It was reported he did not see eye to eye with some of the technical staff already at the club when he arrived last summer, such as former Arsenal striker Dennis Bergkamp.
Asked about the alleged disagreement, Bosz said he would “only look forwards” before adding: “What I can say is that I had a great time at Ajax.”
Ajax confirmed on their official website that an agreement had been reached with Dortmund, with the general manager, Edwin van der Sar, describing it as a “good deal”. The former Manchester United goalkeeper said: “I have mixed feelings about this move. When we brought Peter to Ajax last summer it was not the intention that the partnership would end after one year.
“We have had a great season, especially in the Europa League. As with our players, the coach also attracts the attention of clubs from Europe’s top leagues.”
Bosz guided an exciting young Ajax side to their first European final in 21 years, where they were beaten by Manchester United, but missed out on the Eredivisie title by a point to Feyenoord and ended the season without silverware.
The former Holland midfielder’s only previous coaching job outside his home country was a brief stint in charge of Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv before he took over at Ajax.
Dortmund finished third in the Bundesliga last season to qualify for the Champions League, and also won the German Cup.
Discover more from Marking The Spot
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.