Kjell-Arik Watjen

ANALYSIS
Watjen came through Dortmund's academy from 2015 and made an unexpected Bundesliga debut under Edin Terzic in 2024, picking up an assist against Augsburg, but he never earned another senior start under Terzic or successors Nuri Sahin and Niko Kovac. Dortmund sent him to Bochum for the 2025-26 season to get regular second-division minutes, but his playing time there was inconsistent and he fell out of the matchday squad entirely at points late in the campaign. In Denmark he would reunite with Mike Tullberg, his former Dortmund U19 coach, who now manages Midtjylland. Watjen is back in Dortmund's fold for the moment, but his future looks set to be decided away from the club this summer.