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Borussia Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck has issued his latest comments on his ongoing contract extension saga. The 26-year-old found himself pilloried in the German press over the international break after making public the fact that Dortmund’s decision to dismiss sporting director Sebastian Kehl affected his desire to remain with BVB. Kehl was Schlotterbeck’s preferred front office negotiating partner.
The state of Nico Schlotterbeck’s extension talks
After looking distracted and delivering a highly disappointing performance for Germany during the international break.Schlotterbeck got quite defensive whilst discussing Kehl. Both Schlotterbeck and BVB managing director Lars Ricken spoke on the issue during Saturday night’s Bundesliga “Top-Spiel” match against VfB Stuttgart. Schlotterbeck emphasized that he simply felt it right to deny reports that he had agreed to a contract extension surfacing last weekend
Lars Ricken attempts to smooth things over
“He said things had changed a bit, but I don’t think anything has changed at all,” Ricken told Sky Germany prior to kickoff. “When he came back from the national team, we sat down together right away on Monday. Just Nico and me, without his agent. One could tell that the relationship of trust remains 100 percent intact.
“One could tell how passionate he is about the club,” Ricken continued. “We won’t be waiting weeks to schedule the next meeting. Nico has his expectations. The club has its conditions as well. I nevertheless opted to head into these talks with an optimistic mindset. Nico seemed very open and interested.“
Schlotterbeck seeks to clarify
“I had a good conversation with Lars and [new sporting director Nils] Ole [Book],” Schlotterbeck told Sky Germanyafter the full-time whistle. “[Denying reports of the contract extension] wasn’t meant as something malicious toward you [the media] or BVB. I was just surprised [by the reports] and wanted to be honest.
“I knew there would be a backlash against me, but I wanted to clarify,” Schlotterbeck continued. “Since it had to do with me personally, I wanted to correct what had been reported in the media. If a media outlet writes that I’m signing and I don’t sign, I end up looking foolish.
“I can’t please everyone,” Schlotterbeck concluded.
