Changes aplenty on and off the pitch in Dortmund

They have become accustomed to losing key players in the summer transfer window, but there have been departures off the field this year too as Borussia Dortmund aim to bridge an ever-widening gap to Bayern Munich.

‘Die Schwarzgelben’ finished second in the Bundesliga last season but never really threatened to take advantage of Bayern’s period of struggles, finishing eight points adrift.

A disappointing last 16 exit to lower-division St. Pauli in the DFB Pokal was another blow, as was the poor performances in Europe, with Marco Rose’s side finishing third in what was a favourable-looking Champions League group.

A Europa League defeat to Rangers only made matters worse and Rose paid with his job at the end of the season with the former Borussia Moenchengladbach boss only lasting one season at the Westfalenstadion.

Former interim coach Edin Terzic has been handed the task of replacing Rose, signing a deal until 2025. Terzic took over for half a season in 2020/21 following the departure of Lucien Favre and guided the club to cup success.

The 39-year-old will be aided by former club captain Sebastian Kehl, who takes over as Sporting Director from the long-serving Michael Zorc.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a summer in Westphalia without a high-profile playing departure too. Erling Haaland always looked set to exit with a release clause in place and the Norwegian striker has joined Manchester City, leaving Dortmund needing a replacement and having money to spend.

The club have been keen to get their business done early, allowing Terzic a full pre-season to prepare his squad for another long season.

Karim Adeyemi has arrived from Salzburg, with the 20-year-old tasked with replacing some of the goals left by the departure of Haaland. Adeyemi impressed in the Champions League last season for the Austrians.

Nico Schlotterbeck has come in to shore things up at the other end following an excellent season at Freiburg where they reached the German cup final and narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification.

Dortmund conceded the most goals in the top eight last season and the German international looks like a quality addition and is likely to take his place in the squad for the World Cup this winter.

Salih Ozcan has arrived from Koln with Steffen Tigges heading in the opposite direction while goalkeepers Roman Burki and Marwin Hitz have also departed.

Marcel Lotka and Alexander Meyer will come in to freshen up the goalkeeping department.

Niklas Sule looks like another excellent acquisition with the defender arriving on a free transfer from Bayern. Sule and Schlotterbeck should make Dortmund a much more formidable proposition at the back.

Axel Witsel and Dan-Axel Zagadou are the two higher profile free agent departures but with Witsel 33 now, his best years are behind him.

Terzic will look to Jude Bellingham to provide the impetus from midfield ahead of next summer where he may be the next money-spinning transfer at a club that needs to start becoming a destination for players rather than a launchpad.

There’s a lot of change for one summer but it is a fresh start and early signings allow the opportunity to get at Bayern from the start.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt