Borussia Dortmund committed to youth-focused recruitment policy

Already boasting one of the youngest squads in the Bundesliga, Dortmund added four more players 18 years old or younger in the pre-season transfer window in Justin Lerma, Joane Gadou, Kaua Prates and Konstantinos Karetsas.

They are still hoping to add 19-year-old Said El Mala before the transfer window closes and Ricken revealed they were keen to add talent to back up the young players that came through their youth academy and impressed for the first team last season.

"It’s true that we’ve recently signed some young players, but this isn’t something that happens overnight," he told Ruhr Nachrichten.

"We had already been relying on young players such as Carney Chukwuemeka, Daniel Svensson and Jobe Bellingham – who was 19 at the time.

"Then, at the end of last season, Luca Reggiani, Samuel Inacio and Mathis Albert came through from the youth ranks. So this is a trend that has been emerging for some time."

While some feel Dortmund needs a few more experienced heads to help mold the young talent in the squad, Ricken is adamant their signings during the transfer window are all players that can help the first team immediately.

"Nevertheless, the key factor for us in the recent transfers was that the players would help us improve on the pitch straight away," he said.

"Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether someone is 17, 18, 19 or 30 years old. The difference lies more in the financial valuation.

"We wouldn’t have paid a transfer fee for a 30-year-old comparable to the one we paid for Karetsas."