Niko Kovac on Karim Adeyemi’s form surge: “He’s a world class player capable of a hell of a lot.”

1

Karim Adeyemi’s exceptional performance in the Champions League last night earned the 23-year-old plenty of praise from his head coach. Fresh off a noteworthy goal-scoring performance in the Bundesliga, the Borussia Dortmund attacker scored again in his team’s 4-0 home win over Villarreal. Adeyemi has now scored five goals and registered three assists in 16 appearances across all competitions this season. 

Adeyemi’s recent off-the-pitch issues become increasingly less relevant as the German national team attacker continues to deliver on the pitch. BVB head coach Niko Kovac – who has been dismissive of the recent revelations that Adeyemi was convicted of illegal weapons charges – only wished to discuss his player’s footballing abilities at the post-match press conference. 

“He was already breaking through on the right-hand-side during the first half,” Kovac remarked at the presser. “That’s what he’s capable of. We have a very good relationship with him. I demand a lot of him because I know that he’s capable of a hell of a lot. He proved that again in today’s game. 

“He should, must and can also do that in the upcoming games,” Kovac continued. “I’m very happy about it. The lad has some real skills suitable to any team playing on the Bundesliga level. He’s a really absolute world class player.“

GGFN | Peter Weis