Klopp plays down player departures

Posted Wednesday, May 29, 2013 by Foxsports.com

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp is confident his side will compete with the best in the Bundesliga next season, even if they lose some of their best players.

Mario Gotze will be joining this season's champions Bayern Munich in the summer while top scorer Robert Lewandowski has also been heavily linked with the Bavarian giants, who beat Dortmund in the Champions League final last weekend.

Dortmund are used to losing their stars and last year lost influential midfielder Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United. However, Klopp is confident that even if others follow Gotze out of the club, he will be able to put together a side who can compete for a Champions League spot.

"I've read that we are facing the most difficult season," he told German newspaper Bild. "This thesis I find absurd. Because we have such a great quality and a strong base.

"There will of course be a few changes - one or the other will leave us. But upheaval is the wrong word, it's just a change, and we intend to use it to our advantage. I'm pretty positive.

"We want to qualify for the Champions League again. It will not be easy. Leverkusen and Schalke want to take the next step."

Dortmund have already added Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen to their ranks for next season and Klopp is confident more additions will follow - sooner rather than later.

"I do not want to talk about the number, but we're working on it," he added. "I can promise that in the end everything will be fine. Either I'm with Michael Zorc (director of sport) directly together. Over the next few days and weeks it will happen. "