They have almost been forgotten: Borussia Dortmund’s million-euro teenagers are dogged by bad luck
Signed amid high expectations but barely seen so far: things are not yet going smoothly for Borussia Dortmund’s new signings Justin Lerma and Kaua Prates. How serious is the situation?
Borussia Dortmund spent more than €100 million on new players last summer. Two highly gifted Greeks attracted particular attention: Konstantinos Karetsas (€30 million) and Giannis Konstantelias (€26 million). Konstantelias suffered a cruciate ligament tear right at the start of the season, while Karetsas is struggling with a ligament injury. His availability against Bayern Munich on Saturday remains in doubt.
Dortmund also paid €22 million for Joey Veerman and €19.5 million for Joane Gadou. Alongside those high-profile signings, the club had secured two top South American talents, Kaua Prates and Justin Lerma, much earlier. Unlike the better-known arrivals, the youngsters have barely been heard from since they signed. Where do they stand now?
What is the latest on Borussia Dortmund signing Justin Lerma?
Injuries largely explain why both players have faded from view. Lerma's situation is particularly complicated. Dortmund agreed his move from Independiente del Valle in 2024, but the transfer, worth around €4 million, did not go through until last summer, when the attacking midfielder turned 18.
His first steps at Dortmund looked promising. During summer preparations, Lerma made his debut in a friendly against Regionalliga side Rot-Weiss Oberhausen and scored in a 3-1 win. It was an encouraging start.
But Lerma could not build on that performance in the subsequent friendlies against Fortuna Düsseldorf (1-2), Cerezo Osaka (0-1) and FC Tokyo (1-0). He then slipped into the background. Against Arsenal and Roma, the final two pre-season opponents, he was the only first-team player in the squad to spend both games entirely on the bench.
Coach Niko Kovac called for patience: "We can't play everyone. He still needs time, and that's completely normal. There are language difficulties. If you look at him, he's still a little slight, so we need to put a bit of weight on him or work on his fitness. The lad is part of the team, just like everyone else."
Muscle injury: When will Justin Lerma return?
At the end of August, Lerma got another chance to play. He scored for Dortmund's under-19s against Fulham in the Premier League International Cup, but grabbed his right thigh just minutes later and had to come off with a muscle injury. Dortmund never announced a precise diagnosis. Two months on, he is still sidelined.
He has yet to make a senior appearance, and it remains unclear when he will return. Managing director for sport Lars Ricken said recently: "He has a muscle injury and will be unavailable until further notice." Ricken gave no specific timeframe.
Kovac does not want to take any unnecessary risks with Lerma's recovery: "With Justin, it was a muscle injury. You have to be careful not to bring him back too early, so that the muscle doesn't tear again in the same place. We're building him up carefully and won't make any hasty predictions."
Strong competition at Borussia Dortmund: Could Justin Lerma leave again in the winter?
Even when Lerma returns to full fitness, he faces fierce competition in central midfield and on the left flank, where he can also play. To establish himself at Dortmund, he must compete with Konstantelias, Karetsas (provided both are fit again), Ethan Nwaneri, Jobe Bellingham, Carney Chukwuemeka, Maximilian Beier, Fabio Silva, Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha. Reports from the Ruhr Nachrichten and WAZ suggested as early as September that Dortmund's decision-makers were considering a winter loan for Lerma.
Lerma cannot play for Dortmund's under-23s, so he will not have the chance to regain match rhythm in the Regionalliga after his injury. For now, a return to the under-19s is his only route to additional minutes.
Kaua Prates makes his Borussia Dortmund debut against Hamburger SV
Dortmund invested even more in Prates than in Lerma, agreeing a €7 million fee with a further €5 million potentially payable in bonuses. They signed the Brazilian from top-flight side Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte on a contract until 2031. As with Lerma, the clubs reached an agreement six months before the move went through. The left-back arrived in Dortmund last summer at the age of 18.
Prates made a more encouraging start on the pitch than Lerma, though he, too, faced a setback. He arrived with a thigh injury and missed the start of training and the trip to Asia. His first appearances for Dortmund eventually came in the friendlies against Arsenal and Roma.
Unlike Lerma, Prates has played competitively for the senior team. He made his debut in the 2-0 Bundesliga win over Hamburger SV at the end of August, spending six minutes at left-back. He then played 32 minutes in the 5-0 first-round DFB Cup win over HEBC Hamburg and another eight in the 3-2 Champions League victory against Villarreal.
Kaua Prates faces a similar problem to Justin Lerma
Since then, the Brazilian under-20 international has made the matchday squad for almost every Bundesliga game, but he has not played any more league minutes since facing Hamburger SV. Dortmund left him out of the squad only against VfB Stuttgart and, most recently, Eintracht Frankfurt. He missed the Stuttgart game for other reasons, while a muscle injury kept him out against Frankfurt.
Prates is back in individual training, at least. The "defensive beast", as Brazilian sports journalist Joaquim Viana described him to SPOX, could soon be an option again for coach Niko Kovac.
Competition will be fierce for Prates, too. He can play at left-back, centre-back or on the left flank, but chances in central defence look limited behind Nico Schlotterbeck, Waldemar Anton, Joane Gadou and Ramy Bensebaini. Captain Emre Can will also return at some point, while Luca Reggiani and Filippo Mane are there too.
On the left, Daniel Svensson is generally a fixture, although Kovac also likes to use Maxi Beier, who has been converted to a wing-back.
Prates must now adapt to Dortmund's level and demands while building up his playing time. His versatility could prove valuable over a long, gruelling season.
