"I've been here a week and I don't feel like a stranger," explains Salih Özcan. "I felt at home right away." The newcomer introduced himself at the BVB training camp.

The apartment is fully furnished, the lamps are all where they should be. Salih Özcan wanted to get all that over and done with before the pre-season started, "because I wouldn't feel like doing it afterwards. I managed to get that done and now I'm happy that it's starting." At BVB, at the training camp. 

The 24-year-old moved to Dortmund this summer from 1. FC Köln, where he played in the youth academy. "Expectations are high in terms of both the media and the fans, but I'm used to that," the newcomer explained in a media round on the second day of the Swiss training camp, which he arrived at a few hours later than the rest of the team the previous day. "I got a bruise in an uncomfortable spot after a block tackle in training. We checked it out to be on the safe side, but things are looking up." Özcan had an individual training session on Saturday and is expected to rejoin team training very soon.

And he wants to get stuck in: "My goal is clear: to play as much as I can. If I deliver what I'm capable of, I have a great chance of playing. The rest will come naturally," says the defensive midfielder. "There's a lot of competition, but that's normal at a club like this. I accept that." Özcan is most comfortable playing at six in defensive midfield. "In terms of player type, everyone knows that I'm more of an enforcer, but I also like to distribute when we're attacking. I'm not afraid of tackling, I'm not afraid of that."

Like the other internationals, Özcan, who was still on duty for Turkey at the beginning of June, started his pre-season late at BVB. "Now I've been here a week and I don't feel like a stranger. I immediately felt at home and that's very important for a player." The decision to join the Black and Yellows was not difficult: "Borussia Dortmund was always my favourite and I told my agent that. Negotiations went well and I picked Dortmund." The sporting reasons were key: "There's no question that BVB is a great club. The club has a great future, both in the Champions League and in the Bundesliga. That excites me. I'm looking forward to the future."
Christina Reinke 

BVB-TV by 1&1: Medienrunde mit Salih Özcan