Borussia is struggling, dropping points, and sinking further down the table. While they have secured a place in the Champions League quarterfinals, advancing past a powerful Barcelona side seems highly unlikely. Taking everything into account, after Matchday 26 of the Bundesliga and another defeat for the Black and Yellows in Leipzig, it can be said without hesitation: Niko Kovac has not managed to turn things around. In other words, the coaching change in Dortmund has brought no real improvement.Dortmund lose both Sabitzer and derby to LeipzigIn fact, the club is now even further away from its primary goal—qualifying for the Champions League—than it was before the Croatian coach took over. Specifically, when Nuri Sahin left, Borussia was four points behind the fourth spot in the league. Now, that gap has widened to 10 points. To make matters worse, even qualifying for the Europa League seems out of reach, with Dortmund needing to make up a seven-point deficit in the remaining eight rounds to secure a spot in Europe’s second-tier competition. It now appears likely that Dortmund will miss out on the Champions League for the first time in 10 years, which would be a significant financial blow. The silver lining is that since the arrival of sporting director Sebastian Kehl, player salaries have been increasingly performance-based.🚨⚫️🟡 Borussia Dortmund want to make Nico #Schlotterbeck the club’s face of the future and a potential captain.Contract talks are currently on hold due to #BVB’s sporting situation, but Dortmund plan to almost double his current salary of €5-6m, as per @berger_pj.Other… pic.twitter.com/xsVCCIhdit— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) March 16, 2025 As a result, the club’s total wage bill has been reduced from 268 million per year to 180 million euros. Furthermore, if Borussia fails to qualify for the Champions League, that figure will decrease even further. According to German media, each player will lose 20% of their annual salary if the team does not secure a place in Europe’s top competition. If they qualify for the Europa League, salaries will still be reduced by 10%. Additionally, no bonuses will be paid throughout the next season if the team does not make the Champions League, with no rewards even for Europa League or Conference League participation.Is this Van Dijk’s replacement?All of this means that around 30 million euros will remain in the club’s coffers, helping to offset the loss of UEFA prize money. The potential earnings from UEFA bonuses highlight what Dortmund is missing. For instance, just for advancing past Lille, Borussia’s players received a total of 2 million to be shared based on minutes played and contributions to securing a place in the quarterfinals.##NAJAVA_MECA_8790245##
