Dortmund chief Sebastian Kehl reacts to Erling Haaland's interview | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund’s head of the professional division Sebastian Kehl has expressed surprise at the interview given by Erling Haaland on Friday night.

Speaking after Dortmund’s 5-1 Bundesliga victory over Freiburg, Haaland told Viaplay that he feels pressured by the club to make a decision regarding his future when he would rather focus on his football.

BVB executive Kehl was then asked about Haaland’s comments by SPORT1-Doppelpass.

“I was surprised by Erling’s comments after the game,” said Kehl.

“It’s clear why they are now causing an uproar because the issue is polarising and it will continue to be a discussion topic. But there still is no decision.

“I’ll use the opportunity and ask him what’s on his mind and why he communicated this subject of pressure in this way after the game because that’s not the way I viewed it.

“We can’t forget that the boy is 21-years-old and the media are fuelling it every day. Fundamentally it’s clear that at some point the player says I’ve had enough, it annoys me & I can’t be bothered hearing about this subject all the time and just want to play football.”

As one of the hottest properties in the game, Haaland has attracted interest from all of the world’s biggest clubs, and it has been reported that his agent Mino Raiola has already held talks with some of them about a future move.

But Kehl insists no decisions about Haaland’s future have been made, and that player and club still have a very good relationship.

“There is no ultimatum,” he added.

“Erling has become an extremely important personality at the club. Because he’s so important for us, security of planning is needed at our club. That he perhaps sees that as pressure, one has to clear that up with him personally.

“From our standpoint, no pressure has emerged, no discussions were had and we haven’t led any conversations. But it’s clear we must have discussions with agent Mino Raiola as we need that security of planning for such an important player.

“How can I go forward with my squad planning if we have no sense whether the player wants to stay at Dortmund or not? Erling will have to understand that at a certain point we must lead a discussion on a reasonable basis.

“We have a good relationship with Erling which didn’t quite come over in the interview. Everything is fine. I don’t understand it completely and will speak to him. I know how emotional he is. I can understand that the situation might affect him.”