Niko Kovač Hails New Borussia Dortmund Signings Justin Lerma and Takata Yamamoto: “They Have Potential”
Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovač expressed his satisfaction with new recruits Justin Lerma and Takata Yamamoto, who both found the net in a pre-season friendly victory against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. Dortmund secured a 3-1 away win.
Lerma, who started the match, broke the deadlock for BVB, scoring the equalizer shortly before halftime. Yamamoto, who came on at the break, added to the scoreline in the 78th minute.
The 18-year-old Ecuadorian, Lerma, is viewed as a long-term prospect and is not considered a direct replacement for established attackers like Julien Duranville and Karim Adeyemi. Kovač alluded to Adeyemi's potential departure, stating that the club's management is "actively working to find adequate, and perhaps even better, replacements for those who have left us."
Yamamoto, also 18, is initially slated to play for the Dortmund reserves. The Japanese teenager joins on loan from Gamba Osaka and will spend the season developing with the second team. Kovač admitted he had limited prior knowledge of Yamamoto.
Kovač Praises Justin Lerma and Takata Yamamoto
"I didn't know of him before either," Kovač commented on Yamamoto. "But he showed some good things today. I saw a number of promising moments. We look forward to working with him. For now, certainly with the reserve team, but that doesn't mean the door to the first team is closed. On the contrary, it's open, and we will be keeping an eye on him."
"You can see they have potential," Kovač said when discussing both Yamamoto and Lerma. "They both have their strengths, but there's also room for improvement. The lads need to quickly learn what we want. They should demonstrate their skills. That's why we signed them."
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