Borussia Dortmund has become a renowned launching pad for young football talent, consistently nurturing players who ascend to the highest echelons of the sport. Their alumni list reads like a who’s who of the football world.

Among the notable names are Jude Bellingham, now showcasing his skills at Real Madrid, Erling Haaland, a key figure at Manchester City, and Ousmane Dembele, who recently joined Paris Saint-Germain. However, these stars are just a few among many.

Steffen Freund, a former Dortmund player and a respected German television pundit, has observed these talents closely. His insights offer a unique perspective on their transitions.

“If you succeed at Borussia Dortmund, you have the potential to move to giants like Real Madrid,” Freund explains. “While Barcelona might have a financial edge, in Germany, only Bayern Munich surpasses Dortmund’s stature. Clubs like Inter Milan and PSG could also be considered larger.”

Freund continues, “There are perhaps only a handful of clubs—certainly no more than ten—where a move from Dortmund represents a step up. Manchester City is one such club. Haaland’s move from Salzburg to Dortmund was a perfect stepping stone to City, arguably the world’s top team at the time.”

Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, team-mates here in 2021, have both gone on to megastardom after moving on from Borussia Dortmund 

“This is why the future remains bright for players like Bellingham and Haaland,” Freund adds. “It’s crucial they remain patient and avoid the temptation to demand immediate starts or seek transfers prematurely.”

‘If they can’t make it at Dortmund, they are still good enough for lots of clubs and maybe if that happens, they can change at the end of next season, but if you make it at Dortmund you can go to the top.’

This season has been challenging for Chukwuemeka, 22, and Bellingham, 20. From the outside it seems like neither have made significant inroads, flickering on the fringes.

For Chukwuemeka there have been more of those niggling injuries that marred his time at Chelsea. For Bellingham, the first half of the season was blighted by his father Mark’s confrontation with Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl after a match to demand his son played more.

‘Very interesting for the media but, trust me, on that point, everyone at Dortmund is cool,’ says Freund, who has tight working relationships and friendships with key figures in the Dortmund hierarchy, including Kehl and head coach Niko Kovac, both former Bundesliga players.

‘They are experienced with situations like that. It was a mistake but not one to say the Bellingham family are in trouble and now there are problems. There are not. It’s not the first time any of them have seen one of the dads coming in to say their son has to play.

Carney Chukwuemeka scores for Dortmund this month – his third goal since joining the club

Jobe Bellingham followed his brother’s footsteps by signing for Dortmund last summer

‘But Niko Kovac has to make the decisions and I’m sure Jobe’s dad knows that. There has to be competition at the club like Dortmund and Jobe is up against international players for his position.’

Kovac is committed to a 3-4-2-1 tactical shape with two versatile playmakers behind one centre forward. Chukwuemeka, who signed last summer from Chelsea for £24million after a loan spell, competes for one of these places with Max Beier, Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi.

‘Carney’s quality on the ball is special,’ says Freund. ‘If you watch only the first touch, his dribbling in tight spaces, the things he can create, the final pass. He can be something special in the future.

‘For Jobe, it is is a little bit different. He can play behind the striker, too, but I see him like his brother, more as a number eight. He has a physical presence, wins the ball, wins the one-v-ones, can push the team and be a fantastic box-to-box player but it is not easy to break into that midfield.’

With Marcel Sabitzer injured, Bellingham, who signed for £27m from Sunderland, came in alongside Felix Nmecha for the 3-2 win against St Pauli on Saturday, and his chances will improve with the return of Pascal Gross to Brighton and Emre Can’s switch into the back three.

Steffen Freund spent five years at Dortmund before moving to Tottenham in 1998

‘Both have been good signings,’ adds Freund. ‘Both players I can see feeling the pressure a little bit. When you sign a big contract for Borussia Dortmund there is pressure and the first year is not easy. Only if you are a superstar. And even for Jude it wasn’t perfect in the beginning.

‘In my first year, I was 23 and it was difficult. OK, I came from Schalke and that is like moving from Spurs to Arsenal like Sol Campbell, so I made it harder for myself but after a year and a half I was playing for Germany.

‘Both can improve but both have started games. Both have been involved in most of the games including in Champions League. Both will make it, step by step.’

Freund earned cult hero status during his five years as a hard-tackling Spurs midfielder. He won the League Cup in 1999, returned as a coach under Andre Villas Boas and served the club as an ambassador for a year before moving back to Germany.

Thomas Frank is feeling the heat and faces a tough task when his Spurs side host Dortmund

He will be at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the game against Dortmund on Tuesday as a guest in the chairman’s suite.

Defeat for Spurs would turn up the heat on Thomas Frank and the Germans are in good shape. They have lost only three of 27 games in all competitions this season and are second in the Bundesliga behind unbeaten Bayern Munich.

‘With Niko Kovac, Dortmund play with the right mentality,’ says Freund. ‘It’s not always the prettiest but they are winning. If they don’t play well, they still take a point, minimum and with that style they can go far in the Champions League.’