Kovac and Ricken speak about the transfer of Said El Mala - Dortmund have apparently prepared plan B

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BVB, news: Ricken and Kovac speak about Karetsas' debut

Konstantinos Karetsas made his first appearance for BVB on Sunday afternoon in the friendly against Arsenal (3-2) after his multi-million move from Genk to Dortmund. The 18-year-old curled home a fine goal to make it 2-0 before coming off at half-time.

Afterwards, coach Niko Kovac spoke about the Greek, the second-most expensive transfer in the club's history, and said: "Of course he still needs time. Physically, he is not yet at the level we would like him to be. That is why he only played 45 minutes as well. That is load management."

Kovac continued: "We know where he comes from. We also know that he was also a little injured during pre-season at Genk. We can see that he is really good football-wise. That is what every team needs. That is what we need! We are very happy with that at the moment."

Sporting managing director Lars Ricken was also impressed by Karetsas' debut. "What particularly impressed me was how alert Kosta was after five days of training, how he took part in the game, how secure he was on the ball and how much he worked for the team. And in situations like the one for the 2-0, you could wake him at three in the morning and he would put them away," said the 50-year-old.

Elsewhere, both officials were pleased with BVB's display in London. "We saw a few great moves, a few automatisms that Niko worked on with his team," said Ricken, who added: "Of course it is nice when two 18-year-olds in Inacio and Karetsas, as well as Gadou as a 19-year-old, score the goals. But it only works if the experienced players around them also deliver. They did that. When I think of Ramy, of Nmecha, Silva, who put in a real shift up front. Alex Meyer radiated incredible calm. Then the young players can shine alongside them and produce their highlights."

Kovac added: "The result was not the main focus, and that has also been the case in recent weeks. It is about seeing certain things, and today we saw a lot of good things. Certainly there are one or two things still to correct, but we have made progress. In the first half, we worked the first two goals wonderfully in particular, and I liked that."

BVB, news: Dortmund's officials dodge questions about Said El Mala

Borussia Dortmund's interest in signing Said El Mala from 1. FC Cologne is no secret. Even so, the BVB bosses would not be drawn on the speedy winger. That was the case again on Sunday in London.

"It is simply a matter of respect that we at Borussia Dortmund do not talk about other players," said Ricken. "Unfortunately, that occasionally has the consequence that there are alleged updates and that the day before yesterday we were sitting in the office and thinking: 'Look at what we have supposedly done again.' We now have to put up with that a little."

Kovac, meanwhile, kept it more general: "The market is very difficult. It is not easy to find suitable players on suitable terms as well."

Even so, the 54-year-old suggested BVB still want to sign a quick one-on-one dribbler. "You are constantly playing against opponents who have these players in their ranks both offensively and defensively. You have to match that," said Kovac.

The Ruhr Nachrichten also report that a plan B, should the El Mala transfer not come off, would be "drawn up in the drawer of Ole Book's desk".

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BVB, news: Joane Gadou delighted with his first goal for Dortmund

At the Emirates Stadium, the two centre-backs Filippo Mane and new signing Joane Gadou also caught the eye. "Filippo played a really good game today. The three centre-backs cleared things very well. Filippo, but Joane as well. That is real force, that is power. They are quick, they are aggressive and tenacious, and very strong one-on-one," was Kovac's verdict.

On Mane in particular, who has often struggled with injuries, the Croat said: "Of course, one or two things can still be improved, but Filippo is making progress. That is down to his diligence. We have adjusted things for him. We know what problems he had. We have improved that in recent weeks and months. If he remains as consistent health-wise, then he will certainly be a good player for us."

Gadou, who joined BVB from Salzburg, made it 3-1 and scored for his new club for the first time. The youngster was delighted. "I am very happy about my first goal for BVB. The lads were very happy for me," he said. "I am a defender and I do not always score goals. So it is always nice for a defender to score a goal. Today we played well. Of course we can still improve, but we are on a good path."

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BVB, news: Kovac speaks about Kaua Prates' debut

Brazilian new signing Kaua Prates came on against Arsenal after 60 minutes for Maximilian Beier and then slotted in at left-back. It was also the 17-year-old's first appearance in a Dortmund shirt after recently being sidelined by an injury he brought with him from his homeland.

"He arrived here, is still pretty young and was injured. I told him to simply play his game, because he can do that really well," coach Kovac said about Prates after the match.

"You could already see that he is very fine on the ball, that he is very quick and above all has real power. Of course he can still improve one or two things. He still waits a bit too much for my liking, but he has only trained with us for one week. We will instil that in him. Then we will have a good young player as backup," Kovac explained.

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