Elversberg, a club that secured promotion to the Bundesliga top flight for the first time in its history, has begun the new season with a bang. A point against Bayern Munich also seemed plausible when Maurice Krattenmacher equalised in the 61st minute, before Harry Kane netted the winner for the defending champions. Though these are still early days, Elversberg’s record signing, Cole Campbell, spoke to NDTV about the club’s fearless mentality that has left the football world pleasantly surprised.
In their first-ever Bundesliga game, Elversberg defeated the 2023-24 champions, Bayer Leverkusen, before securing another impressive win against Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Elversberg record signing Cole Campbell scored his first Bundesliga goal against Bayer Leverkusen. In a chat with NDTV, he emphasised the club’s fearless and focused mentality.
“After we won against Leverkusen, we gained a lot of confidence and belief, and beating Gladbach was also an amazing feeling. Having joined from Dortmund over the summer, Campbell admitted that while there is pressure associated with his price tag, he is determined to support his teammates and focus on what he can control on the pitch. “Obviously, there is pressure that comes with it, but on the other side, there is also a lot of trust from them to believe in me. Since I’ve been here, I have felt very good. Everyone in the club is supporting each other, and the pressure I put on myself to perform was already there before any money was involved. Regardless of those things, I want to perform and do my best in every single game. That is what I will continue doing-training and trying to become better in every match and training session. There is pressure, but the support I have from the club, my teammates, and the coaching staff helps give me a good feeling and allows me to perform. Wins against Leverkusen and Gladbach prepared Elversberg in the best possible manner to face the mighty Bayern Munich. When asked if there was a shift in mindset when he and his teammates approached the Bayern fixture, Campbell explained that the club stands by a philosophy of not being intimidated by the stature of their opponents. For Elversberg, it is crucial to approach every single game with the exact same intensity. “The quality of Leverkusen and Gladbach is very high; they are both amazing teams. When you hear the reputation of a club like Bayern, it is of course a different feeling and they are a different opponent. But the mindset we take into every game has to be the same. We want to give everything we have and perform the best we can, regardless of whether we are playing Bayern Munich or a lower team. The results against Leverkusen, Gladbach, and Bayern have shown Elversberg’s true potential. At the start of the season, the primary target for the newly promoted club might have simply been survival. However, Campbell insisted that head coach Vincent Wagner is ensuring the squad takes things one match at a time, refusing to let the players get carried away by their early-season success. But at the end of the day, we are taking it day by day. We are training hard and focusing only on the next match. We are taking in every moment and will continue to give our best to perform at the highest level we can, and then we will see what happens.”
During the virtual media interaction, Campbell-who was bought by Elversberg from Borussia Dortmund for a club-record fee of 6 million euros-recalled scoring his first-ever Bundesliga goal against Leverkusen in his side’s stunning 3-2 win. When you play against Bayern Munich, one of the best teams in Europe, you obviously have to be focused and give 100%.
