Greek international Konstantinos Karetsas was all smiles after he was officially unveiled as the new Borussia Dortmund player on Monday.
The 18-year-old wonderkid completed a €30 million transfer from Belgian Pro League side Genk, becoming their fourth signing of the summer.
Karetsas later revealed that he had always been a fan of the club and was enticed by Dortmund’s proven record of being a launchpad for many other rising stars before.
However, the fans will be delighted to see the midfielder’s ambition, which bodes well with that of the club ahead of the 2026-27 season.
In his first interview with the club since joining, Karetsas was asked what he looks forward to achieve at Dortmund and his response was:
““My personal goals are to continue developing as much as possible, take the next step in my career, score more goals, and contribute to the team. And from the team’s perspective, my goal is, of course, to win titles—and not just one. Yes, that’s my plan: to win titles and help the team as much as possible.””
After witnessing their promising 2025-26 campaign end with a whimper and without a trophy, Niko Kovac’s side are looking to pose a more serious challenge on all fronts in the upcoming season.
The new arrivals would certainly give Kovac some much-needed tactical flexibility. But this statement of intent from Karetsas is exactly what the fans also want to see right now.
On far too many occasions last season, the BVB were just lacking in the urgency to grab their games by the scruff of the neck and instead relying on some late heroics to see them through.
Such an attitude doesn’t bode well for a side that is ambitious about collecting silverware and ending their long standing trophy drought of five years.
Fans will hope that Karetsas is able to deliver on his words once the season rolls around, for his hefty price tag also puts enormous pressure on his shoulders.
At €30 million (plus an additional €2 million in performance-related bonuses), he is Dortmund’s second most expensive signing in history.
He further talked of his playing style while calling himself a team player.
““I’d describe myself as a creative player and also as someone who always works hard and tries to help the team.””
We could get a first glimpse of Karetsas as early as this Sunday when Borussia Dortmund face Arsenal in their next pre-season friendly.
