BVB's Perfect Start Puts Bayern on Notice as Ricken Discusses Sancho's Absence

Borussia Dortmund have started the season perfectly, and the league table already carries a small psychological twist: Bayern Munich are chasing, not leading. At BVB, nobody wants to call it a statement. But they are happy to let the numbers sting in Munich.

Sporting managing director Lars Ricken underlined the respect between the clubs, then allowed himself a pointed aside.

“There is a very respectful relationship between the two clubs. Nevertheless, in recent years we have not given Bayern the feeling that a declaration of intent had to go out to them either,” the 50-year-old told Bild.

Right now, though, Bayern are two points behind and looking up at Dortmund. Ricken did not hide the satisfaction that brings.

“I do not want to conceal the fact that I hope they are a little annoyed,” he admitted. “We know the table and they are currently not where they think they belong. If that feeling prevails, I would be pleased.”

A small jab. A big message: BVB have stopped talking about catching Bayern and simply started winning.

Why Sancho stayed away

While the table invites mind games, another major topic in Dortmund has quietly been closed: a second comeback for Jadon Sancho.

The winger is currently unattached, and speculation around another return to the Yellow Wall had been intense. Ricken has now set out why BVB ultimately walked away.

“To a certain extent it was important to me to bring in new faces, new stories, new figures for identification,” he said, stressing the need for a fresh dynamic in the squad.

Sancho, he argued, is too big a presence to be anything other than central.

“Jadon has that kind of force,” Ricken explained. Even with reduced minutes, the Englishman’s name would have dominated every discussion. “Jadon would be our only topic,” he feared.

The knock-on effects would have been brutal for the current planning. Ricken openly posed the internal questions that came with a Sancho deal:

“As a consequence, you would then have to look: do you sell a Fabio Silva?”

Planned arrivals might have been blocked as well. “Can you then only bring in Karetsas and not Konstantelias?” he asked.

And then there is the next generation. Ricken pointed directly to academy products who would feel the squeeze.

“We have young players like Inacio or Mathis Albert. Do you then have to sell or loan them out?”

The conclusion was clear. BVB chose the long-term structure over the short-term buzz of a superstar reunion.

“These are decisions we make,” Ricken said. The door, for now, is shut.

Wagner’s heart beats black and yellow

Far from Dortmund, in Elversberg, another coach is quietly flying the BVB flag.

Vincent Wagner is making waves with Bundesliga newcomers SV Elversberg, but his footballing heart has been tied to Dortmund for almost 30 years. Speaking to Bild, he admitted he has been a Borussia Dortmund fan since the 1995/96 season.

“Now I have to watch what I say,” Wagner joked, before making it clear where his loyalties once lay. At the same time, he underlined how content he is in his current role.

“I am happy at SV Elversberg and glad that I am allowed to be a Bundesliga coach – because I love my job,” he said.

On the pitch, Wagner looks to blend two of the game’s greats.

“I try to have my teams play football in a holistic way. The intensity and passion of Klopp paired with the tactical understanding and meticulousness of Pep Guardiola.”

Dortmund fan at heart, Elversberg architect by trade – Wagner’s rise is another quiet thread in BVB’s wider influence on German football.

Kaba steps back onto the pitch

Inside the club, the next wave is already fighting for space. One of the most encouraging stories of the week came from the U23s.

Seventeen-year-old midfield talent Mussa Kaba celebrated his comeback after six months out. He went straight into the starting XI in Dortmund’s reserves’ 3–2 win over Rödinghausen and played the first half.

A growth spurt and the resulting muscle problems had sidelined him since March. BVB opted for a cautious build-up, protecting a body still adjusting to rapid physical change.

Now, alongside Enzo Duarte – himself recently injured – Kaba is finally getting the minutes he needs with the U23s.

Coach Daniel Rios made the priority clear: fitness first, hype later.

“Now it is about Mussa and Enzo getting minutes and getting into rhythm. There is always coordination with the professional department,” he said.

For Kaba, it is a small step on a long road. For Dortmund, it is another sign that the pathway from academy to first team must stay clear – one of the reasons Sancho was left on the outside looking in.

BVB are winning, Bayern are chasing, and the talk in Dortmund is less about declarations of intent and more about squad architecture, youth minutes and who gets squeezed out. If the results keep coming, how long before that “little annoyance” in Munich turns into something far more uncomfortable?