On 3 January − after only 13 days off − the winter break ends and the players head out to Marbella for a week-long training camp. Peter Stöger has been the new coach for a few weeks and has already overseen an upturn in form with victories over Mainz and Hoffenheim prior to Christmas. He is now targeting a Champions League place as the preparations begin under the Andalusian sun. Stöger is aided by the return of key players such as Lukasz Piszczek, Mario Götze, Gonzalo Castro, Erik Durm and Marco Reus. His charges beat Fortuna Düsseldorf 2-0 in their first friendly of the year.

However, there is disappointment when the domestic campaign resumes as the Black & Yellows spurn numerous chances in a goalless draw against VfL Wolfsburg. The spoils are again shared when they draw 1-1 at Hertha in their next game, with Shinji Kagawa's 71st-minute equaliser cancelling out Davie Selke's opener 42 seconds into the second half. Stöger's men carve open several opportunities to win the match in the closing stages but they either fail to beat the goalkeeper (Toljan, 85), miss by inches (Sancho, 82), or hit the woodwork (Isak, 86).

On their next outing, Jeremy Toljan salvages Borussia Dortmund a point at home to SC Freiburg with virtually the last kick of the game, the full-back volleying home to rescue a 2-2 draw in the third minute of stoppage time. The 81,360 fans at a sold-out Signal Iduna Park see BVB make a bright start to the match and take a ninth-minute lead thanks to a spectacular effort by Shinji Kagawa, but they subsequently tail off and Nils Petersen notches a brace (21, 68) to turn the game on its head and put the visitors 2-1 up. The three successive stalemates at the start of the new year see BVB climb from eighth position to third in the first two games under Stöger before dropping down to sixth.

Manuel Akanji is included in the squad for the first time against Freiburg. The Swiss defender's "performances had put him on the radar of several of Europe's top clubs," according to sporting director Michael Zorc, but he ultimately opted to sign a contract with BVB until 30 June 2022. Jadon Sancho, 17, gets his first taste of professional football as he plays the full 90 minutes in the first two matches of 2018. Meanwhile, talented forward Jacob Bruun Larsen, 19, joins domestic rivals VfB Stuttgart on loan for six months in a bid to get some playing time under his belt under the tutelage of his former youth coach Hannes Wolf. Unfortunately, though, Wolf leaves the club only five days later.

In other transfer news, BVB meet the buyout clause in the contract of Spain youth international Sergio Gómez and sign the 17-year-old from Barcelona, while fellow Spaniard Marc Bartra joins La Liga outfit Real Betis. He leaves the club at the same time as a true Borussia Dortmund icon, Neven Subotic. The defender, part of the 2011 and 2012 title-winning sides, completes a switch to St. Etienne. BVB agree to the player's request to terminate his contract "due to Neven's extraordinary contribution to the club on both a sporting and personal level," as Hans-Joachim Watzke put it. There is another departure as striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joins Arsenal, with Michy Batshuayi moving in the opposite direction on loan from Chelsea.

The long-term partnership with marketing agency Lagardère Sports is prematurely extended to 2026. "Lagardère will continue to market our national and international advertising, media and hospitality rights, though as of July 2020 this will be under significantly improved conditions for BVB. From that point onwards, the marketing agency will no longer participate in the proceeds of centrally-marketed media rights," said managing director Thomas Treß, as he cited the club's main reasons for extending the cooperation.
Boris Rupert