Photograph: Kovac relies on his players experience, and Sabitz will become an important player under his command

German media Biography reported that Dortmund midfielder Sabitz is no longer a player for sale, and he will now become an important candidate under Kovac. The report said that the 31-year-old Sabitzer was originally considered the candidate to be sold, especially after Bellingham Jr. joined, and many people expected him to leave this summer.

Sabize's current contract is in 2027, and the midfielder no longer considers leaving the team early, although according to Biography, he has an extremely attractive economic offer from Saudi and Qatar teams.

The reason is clear: coach Kovac is not only known for relying on experience, but also opens the door to every professional player: as long as he shows his performance, every player can re-enter the team's starting lineup in this originally not-so-large lineup.

At the end of last season, Sabitzer failed to play an important role due to a muscle injury, and his overall performance throughout the season was basically unsatisfactory. Today, he has shown his best form at the training camp in Saalfelden, Austria.

However, last season, Sabitzer had a "disgusting" image in the locker room, which was accused of bringing a negative atmosphere. But since Kovac clearly told him in a private one-on-one conversation that he would still rely on his experience and sophistication in the future, Sabitzer's communication attitude has become much more positive.

However, the competition in Dortmund midfielder is extremely fierce: in addition to Sabitzer, there are Bellingham Jr., Gross, 34, Felix Enmecha, 24, captain Emre Jan, 31, Brandt, 29 and Ozjan, 27, and seven players will compete for three vacant positions.

And Kovac also knows that this fierce internal competition will force Dortmund's players to perform at the highest level. Sabitzer's value to the team has been proven in the previous season: at that time, he was one of the key contributors to Dortmund's ability to reach the Champions League final. Now, Kovac is also looking forward to him being able to perform that strong again.