After his debut in the professional squad
©IMAGO
In the 1:2 at Union Berlin last Saturday, Cole Campbell was a newcomer to the Borussia Dortmund squad. The 18-year-old attacker is considered a promising talent and wants to assert himself among the professionals. “I hope I get my chance soon,” said the American to the “Ruhr Nachrichten”.
“This is an important season for me. I want to make a breakthrough with the professionals. “I have to work hard for that and then we’ll see what’s possible,” emphasized the youngster. Campbell moved from his native USA in 2020, first to Iceland and two years later to the BVB youth team. There the left-footer was recommended for his first professional contract via the U17 and U19 – in July he extended it until 2028.
“We see a lot of potential in him and are happy that we will take the next steps together,” said sports director Sebastian Kehl about the talent. Campbell added: “It was a dream come true for me when I moved to BVB. Now I’m living this dream and have been working on improving myself since day one. I am very happy and will continue to work hard to be successful at Borussia Dortmund.”
Campbell was allowed to go to the professional training camp in Marbella last winter and he was there again in Bad Ragaz in the summer. “With the professionals, the level and the pace are of course much higher compared to the U19s. Every pass must be correct. The teammates and opponents are of course bigger and stronger. “Everything is a step higher here,” he reported. This season, Campbell played five times in the 3rd division, twice in the Youth League and once in the U19 youth league – scoring two goals and two assists each. The debut in the BVB squad followed last weekend and this Wednesday he received his first market value of 300,000 euros as part of the Bundesliga update.
Campbell has only words of praise for coach Nuri Şahin: “Even though I haven’t been working with him for long, I can already say that Nuri Şahin is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. I can talk to him at any time and exchange ideas with him on a personal level. Of course you have to respect him, but you can talk to him very openly. I like that a lot.” Şahin was a “fantastic player”: “He can give me good tips and I can learn a lot from him. I’m looking forward to playing under him.”
